Judges reject bid to retry Jean-Rony
CROWN attorneys yesterday called for the Court of Appeal to dismiss a Supreme Court judge’s landmark ruling that Bahamas-born Jean Rony Jean-Charles was unlawfully expelled from the Bahamas, with the alternative being a retrial on the facts in the Supreme Court.
Ouch! Peter turns the screw on VAT
Finance Minister K. Peter Turnquest delivered a stunning blow to consumers and businesses yesterday with a shock increase in the rate of Value Added Tax to 12 percent.
Giveaways offered in Budget
DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest announced a number of tax reductions and eliminations during his budget communication yesterday.
Officers in police shooting still on duty
THE officers involved in the fatal shooting of Deangelo Evans are expected to stay on active duty while a coroner’s inquest into the incident is carried out.
Deportee faces court over ammunition case
A MAN recently deported from the US after being indicted on firearms trafficking charges was arraigned yesterday over allegations he imported more than 400 rounds of ammunition into the country.Dealo Cordell Pratt, of Jacksonville, Florida, stood bef
Volunteers offer to walk students home
COMMUNITY activists have launched a pilot volunteer programme that pairs groups of primary schools students with adults who can accompany them as they walk home from school. The initiative “Our Children’s Keepers” follows three high-profile incidents
Property tax and immigration fees up
THE Minnis administration’s VAT grabbed the spotlight yesterday but Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest also announced select increases to real property taxes and immigration fees.Real property tax on foreign-owned vacant la
'Get ready - hurricane season is on its way'
THE Grand Bahama Port Authority is urging residents to ensure they are prepared for the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season.The regulatory body met with corporate stakeholders on Wednesday to discuss its hurricane preparedness plan for Grand Bahama.The is
From burden to VAT hike - the FNM's changing view on tax
THE Free National Movement insisted value added tax would be a burden on Bahamians before announcing their plan yesterday to increase the tax rate by more than 50 percent in the next fiscal year.On August 20, 2014, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and
Police hunt for armed robbers
POLICE are appealing for public assistance as they investigate three armed robberies in the capital on Tuesday.In the first incident, according to reports, a man was standing outside a home in Ridgeland Park when he was approached by two men armed wi
Charities to benefit from budget move
ONE of the tax relief measures announced by Deputy Prime Minister K Peter Turnquest yesterday will have a direct impact on charities. Mr Turnquest promised that the government will “provide tax relief to individuals and businesses” as he announced a
Out with the old jobs scheme, in with new skills programme
THE National Employment and Empowerment Programme (NEEP) comes to a close today, with the government embarking on a new 52-Week Skills Empowerment Programme. NEEP participants will be given notice pay plus any accrued vacation leave, according to a r
Bus route identified to test out new system
THE government has identified a route for its pilot project on a new busing system, according to Transport Minister Frankie Campbell, who insisted the program moving forward.Mr Campbell told media outside Cabinet the project will not be a “mock bus r
Move to digital seeks to make govt more efficient
THE government will be undergoing a “digital transformation” to strengthen the country’s competitiveness, Deputy Prime Minister K Peter Turnquest said yesterday.Known as the “Digital Bahamas Initiative”, the project will be financed in part by a $500
Embiid braves the leap . . . eventually
ALTHOUGH he towers over his opponents on the court, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was no match for the 60-foot tunnel drop through a shark-filled tank at Atlantis Paradise Island Resort.The seven-foot NBA star jetted to The Bahamas this month t
Web shop patrons to pay stamp tax
WEB shop patrons will have to pay five percent stamp tax on in-store deposits to accounts and any digital online sales, effective July 1, 2018.Although not implicitly stated in yesterday’s budget presentation, it is presumed this tax will be applied
EDITORIAL: Still time to review the heavy hammer of VAT
The governing party under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis presented its proposed budget in the House of Assembly yesterday.
DIANE PHILLIPS: A tale of two lighthouses
Lighthouses captivate our imagination and move us in a way we rarely stop to define. Maybe it is because they stand apart from all else around them - tall, proud, lonely, independent, dependable, a sentry that never needs sleep.
No more private islands
It is simply shocking that the government would even consider allowing Carnival Cruise Lines to take possession of, and ban everyone but its passengers from visiting yet another one of our beautiful islands. The practice of cruise companies establishing “private islands” is an abomination on every level - environmental, economic, ethical – and should never have been allowed to take place in the first place.
Parliamentary lessons to be learned
HOUSE of Assembly rules seem today to be stifling democracy. Over the past week or so I watched how the mother of all parliaments, The Commons, London, worked and wow what a difference.
