‘A lot more’ than $193m is owed to govt in VAT
ACTING Controller Shunda Strachan said the government is owed an alarming number of taxes, even though the number has been reduced to $875m after being $1bn when the Davis administration came to power.
Minister startled that local govt responsible for Family Islands firefighting equipment
SOCIAL Services Minister Obie Wilchcombe said he was startled to discover that Local Government is responsible for maintaining firefighting equipment on Family Islands, not the police.
Wilchcombe: All are entitled to their views
SOCIAL Services Minister Obie Wilchcombe says House Speaker Patricia Deveaux is entitled to her views after she said she could not opine on marital rape because she is not married.
‘My hands are more than clean’ on food assistance programme says Minnis
FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said his Cabinet had no involvement in the COVID-19 food assistance programme after establishing a National Food Distribution Taskforce to manage it.
EDITORIAL: Ensure Child Protection becomes a high priority for our government
THIS week is guest editorial week at The Tribune - we have invited a series of contributors to offer their views on different issues throughout the week. Today’s editorial is written by Terneille Burrows, founder and president of Rise Bahamas.
Resolution passed making sailing the national sport
THE House of Assembly passed a resolution yesterday naming sailing the national sport of The Bahamas.
Royal Caribbean: 60% of guests won't visit PI
Top Royal Caribbean executives yesterday pledged that "more than 60 percent of our guests" will never visit its Paradise Island project, as they urged: "We can win together or we can lose together."
Royal Caribbean cut Crown Land to avoid Toby 'conflict'
Royal Caribbean executives yesterday said they reduced their Paradise Island Crown Land demands by 43 percent in a bid to "untangle ourselves" from any "conflict" with Bahamian entrepreneur Toby Smith.
Ten couriers blocked amid $193m VAT arrears worry
Ten courier companies recently saw Customs temporarily halt clearance of their clients' imports, the Government's top tax official revealed yesterday, as part of a drive to recover $193m in total VAT arrears.
PI investment to be ‘gold environmental standard’
Royal Caribbean executives yesterday pledged their Paradise Island project will set "the gold standard" for environmental sustainability, adding that Atlantis and others should feel "comfortable" their concerns will be resolved.
Tax authority chief labels $875m arrears 'alarming'
The Government's top tax collector yesterday branded the $875m in combined outstanding VAT, real property tax and Business Licence arrears as "alarming" even though this sum has been slashed from the previous $1bn.
Inland Revenue auditing nine delinquent businesses in Eleuthera
THE Department of Inland Revenue is auditing nine businesses on Harbour Island.
RCI DEFENDS PI PROJECT: Cruise line addresses environmental concerns over $100m beach club
ROYAL Caribbean International leaders rebutted environmental concerns surrounding the proposed $100m Paradise Island project yesterday, insisting it would be their most environmentally friendly project of its kind.
Responsibility allowance up by 58 percent
SENIOR public servants have collectively received a 58 per cent increase in responsibility allowance.
Work permit violations found on work site
IMMIGRATION Minister Keith Bell said a special operation in a “high-end gated community” in eastern New Providence found that foreign workers outnumbered Bahamian construction workers three to one, breaking the rules.
Nassau ranks low on visitor satisfaction
ROYAL Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley said Nassau ranks in the bottom ten per cent of destinations customers are satisfied with, creating demand for projects like the proposed Paradise Island Royal Beach Club that appeal to cruise ship visitors.
Man gets eight years for armed robbery of woman
A MAN was sentenced to eight years in prison by the court yesterday after being convicted of stealing a woman’s phone at gunpoint in the presence of her child two years ago.
Tax authorities eye $3m from Briland crackdown
The Government is expecting to realise an extra $3m in revenue from the recent crackdown on Harbour Island tax cheats, its top tax official said yesterday.
Foreign workers 'manipulating system'; cost Gov't thousands
The Government is losing thousands of dollars in fee income because foreign construction workers and their sponsors "have figured out how to manipulate the system", the Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) chief said yesterday.
GB water supplier: 40% protected from price rise
Grand Bahama's water supplier yesterday pledged that 40 percent of its customer base will not see any price hikes from an adjusted tariff structure due to take effect on May 1 if approved by regulators.
