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Activist slams Shell LNG deal as ‘regressive step’
A WELL-known environmentalist yesterday said the adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the Bahamas’ main power source is a “huge regressive step”, questioning why the Government was not aggressively pursuing solar energy.
Super Value chief in VAT ‘exclusive’ push
* Blames ‘inclusive’ switch for 10% sales fall * Plans to ‘go back at Gov’t’ over issue * ‘We don’t have to be contrary to world’
SUPER Value’s owner yesterday said will appeal to government for permission to revert to Value Added Tax (VAT) ‘exclusive’ pricing, blaming the switch for this year’s 10 per cent sales decline. Rupert Roberts, while likely reigniting the ‘inclusive’ versus ‘exclusive’ VAT pricing debate, told Tribune Business that Super Value’s 2017 top-line had seen a marked decline in comparison to the two years prior, during which time the food store chain had used VAT ‘exclusive’ pricing.
Retailers await ‘busy weekend’
BAHAMIAN retailers yesterday said sales have began to pick-up in the week prior to Christmas, amid anticipation of a “very busy weekend”. “The response to our retail Christmas offer has been outstanding. We are so thankful to our subscribers for their continued support of us, and we are looking forward to closing out the season with a bang,” Aliv’s chief business developer, Gravette Brown, told Tribune Business.
Economist: Enterprises Bill $250k should be ‘bit higher’
THE Commercial Enterprises Bill’s $250,000 investment threshold should have been “a bit higher”, a University of the Bahamas economist argued yestrerday. Rupert Pinder, addressing the Rotary Club of West Nassau, said the $250,000 benchmark for foreign companies applying under the Bill did not match the level of incentives being granted.
Economist backs spending cuts to end ‘major wastage’
A University of the Bahamas economist yesterday backed government spending cuts on the grounds there has been “a great deal of wastage”. Rupert Pinder, addressing a Rotary Club of West Nassau luncheon, said: “We cannot overemphasise the importance of economic growth. You can cut spending until the cows come home, but what is really going to put this economy on a strong footing is growth. I am a proponent for cuts in public spending because I think there has been a great deal of wastage.
Some fishermen ‘shut it down’ following Irma
BAHAMIAN fishermen are hoping to “make up” for a rough 2017 with a better crawfish harvest before the season closes, the Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance’s (BCFA) president said yesterday.
Gov’t to tackle mail boat concerns ‘in earnest’
A CABINET minister yesterday said he has committed to a “sit down” with mail boat operators after Christmas to address “in earnest” industry concerns.
Bahamian retailers hit by ‘showroom effect’
BAHAMIAN retailers yesterday said they have fallen victim to the “showroom effect” with consumers using them as ‘fitting rooms’ before purchasing online.
QC tells the web shops: Form own credit union
A prominent QC has called on web shop gaming operators to establish their own credit union, as blasted the Canadian-owned banks’ refusal to accept the sector’s deposits as making “no sense whatsoever”.
Harbour Island ‘thrilled’ at BPL energy resolution
Tourism stakeholders on Harbour Island yesterday hailed Bahamas Power and Light’s (BPL) plan to provide a 6 Mega Watt (MW) power plant to address long-standing energy concerns as “very encouraging”, one executive telling Tribune Business: “We’re thrilled.”
NHI manager blasts sector’s ‘false division’
The National Health Insurance (NHI) project manager yesterday asserted that the primary care phase’s roll-out by early 2017 remains “reasonable”, while dismissing the “false division” between public and private health care providers in the Bahamas.
Just 30% of workers covered by pensions
Just 30 per cent of the Bahamian workforce is covered by employer-sponsored pension plans, the Central Bank’s governor said yesterday, acknowledging that the relative lack of diversified investment opportunities in the Bahamas presented challenges.
Pinder: Sue for $13m over ‘Bahamas papers’
A former financial services minister yesterday suggested that this nation sue to recover the $13 million in Companies Registry search fees owed by the international journalists’ group responsible for the ‘Bahamas papers leak’.
BISX seeks embrace with crowdfunding
The Bahamas International Securities Exchange (BISX) is seeking to marry its Small Alternative Market (SAM) and regulated environment with the new crowdfunding phenomenon, its chief executive said yesterday.
Tripartite Council ‘serves no purpose’
The Trade Union Congress’s (TUC) president has vowed to pursue the its grievance against Sandals Royal Bahamian’s termination of 600 employees to its “logical conclusion”, arguing that the Attorney General’s decision to nullify their case against the resort’s top executives had put workers in a ‘frightening” position.
Land registration still ‘stuck in 18th century’
The Bahamas’ land registration system remains “stuck in the 18th century, an Abaco realtor believes, while calling on this country to develop a proper Land Use Plan (LUP).
Businesses monitor air cargo fall-out
Bahamian businesses are continuing to monitor the fall-out from new and increased Customs fines on the air cargo industry, which has prompted some carriers to threaten to withdraw from this market.
Air cargo costs to rise ‘tremendously’
Bahamians were yesterday warned that the cost of imported air freight will increase “tremendously” as a result of the new Customs fees and fines set to be imposed on operators from today.
Union to ‘do what it has to do’ over Hilton meltdown
The hotel union’s president yesterday said that if working conditions at the British Colonial Hilton do not improve soon it will “do what it has to do”, amid an air conditioning breakdown that has persisted for more than a week.
Price Control: Our 2-year plea was fruitless
The Price Control Commission’s chairman yesterday reiterated warnings that it may seek to dictate business prices via legislation, arguing that many had failed to respond to two years’ worth of pleading by himself.
