IAN FERGUSON: Productivity increase needs gender embrace
As the Bahamas engages in a full discussion of gender equality, and ensuring that women are treated equally under the law, we must also delve into the state of women in business.
Bahamas’ systems must match first world aspirations
The Bahamas cannot continue to live a ‘first world lifestyle’ while operating third world systems and processes, a top private sector executive warned yesterday, urging a “strong willed non-partisan approach” to tackling claims of corruption and lack of transparency.
Bahamian people have to know NHI responsibility
The Bahamian people must be educated on their responsibilities as National Health Insurance (NHI) stakeholders, a physician arguing that the need to maintain a healthy lifestyle as not been stressed enough in the reform discussion.
Dealer: $260k refund delay ‘life and death’
A Bahamian auto dealer yesterday complained that the $260,000 owed to him by the Government, most of which has been outstanding for 15 months, is the difference “between being here today and gone tomorrow”.
Dealer exposes ‘ham and turkey’ road to graft
An auto dealer yesterday exposed the ‘every day corruption’ undermining Bahamian society, disclosing how a public official unilaterally attempted to change Government policy because they had not provided him with a free Christmas ‘ham and turkey’.
Joaquin’s $1.3m loss blocks Bahamas First from earnings record
Bahamas First would have produced another profit record in 2015 had it not been for the net $1.3 million loss associated with Hurricane Joaquin, its chief executive yesterday confirming it paid all storm-related claims from its own resources.
Medical industry unites on ‘flawed, unsustainable’ NHI
Nine healthcare industry bodies yesterday unveiled an alliance that will develop an alternative to National Health Insurance (NHI), which they continued to brand as “seriously flawed and unsustainable”.
PM realises Gov’t ‘backed the wrong horse’ on Baha Mar
The Prime Minister’s renewed enthusiasm for Sarkis Izmirlian shows he now realises that the Government “backed the wrong horse” in the Baha Mar dispute, the Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) leader charged yesterday.
Downtown chief urges ‘massive’ tax-free zone
The Downtown Nassau Partnership’s (DNP) co-chairman yesterday called for a “massive” tax-free zone to revitalise the area east of East Street, arguing that existing incentives “don’t go far enough”.
Auto chief waits 6-8 months for $200k tax refund
The Bahamas Motor Dealers Association’s (BMDA) president yesterday revealed he has been waiting six-eight months for a $200,000 tax refund, while seeing “only red ink” on his company’s financial spreadsheets.
Financial sector ‘shrink’ is Bahamas’ top danger
The Bahamas must reverse the “shrinkage” in its financial services industry to buttress its standing as a “grade A destination”, a prominent accountant has advised.
‘Immature’ finance industry crowding out private sector
The Bahamian financial industry’s “immaturity” has created a situation where businesses and productive economic activities are starved of funding, a newly-released study has revealed.
Stopover visitor levels regressed 30 years in 2013
The Bahamas’ US tourist stopover arrivals slumped to levels last seen in 1984 as recently as 2013, with the increase in cruise passengers “largely insufficient” to compensate for the loss of their higher-yielding counterparts.
PM is urged: ‘Flex muscles’ for Sarkis
The Prime Minister was yesterday said to have performed a “180 degree u-turn” in his relationship with Sarkis Izmirlian, amid calls for him to “flex his muscles” in support of the original developer’s latest Baha Mar proposal.
Domestic savings rate slashed 50%
The Bahamas’ domestic savings have fallen by 50 per cent as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), it was revealed last night, leaving its economy increasingly reliant on foreign direct investment (FDI) for growth.
