FINCO’s $2.7m New Year present for investors
Finance Corporation of the Bahamas (RBC FINCO) is giving its shareholders a New Year’s present by paying out a total $2.7 million dividend - the first such capital return to investors for three years.
Atlantis targeting ‘spectacular’ 2014
Atlantis is on track for a “spectacular” 2014 and 2015, its operator revealed yesterday, due largely to the pace of group bookings which were producing “significant” numbers.
Medical tourism’s $100m-plus boost
Medical tourism could give the Bahamian economy an annual “$100 million-plus” boost, a prominent physician said yesterday, adding that stem cell therapy could be a key part of the nation’s thrust into this industry.
Hotelier concern on ‘very much off’ January bookings
SEVERAL major hotel properties on Nassau/Paradise Island yesterday reporting 100 per cent occupancy heading into the New Year, one general manager telling Tribune Business, however, that the January booking pace was “very much off”.
‘Robust’ protection needed on stem cell
HEALTH Minister Dr Perry Gomez said yesterday that a report on stem cell research should be before Cabinet early in the New Year, as one leading Bahamian physician yesterday called for “robust” legislation to protect the country’s reputation and promote good science.
Marketing Revolution: Don't get sold on the excuses
It has been my personal experience that a bad salesperson cannot even give away money.
‘Taxed into oblivion’ from 200-500% real property rise
The Bahamian middle class is being “taxed into oblivion” by real property tax bill increases of between 200-500 per cent, a well-known realtor has warned.
Living standards increase ‘not real’
Bahamians did not enjoy a “real increase in living standards” in the decade leading up to the 2008 recession, a top accountant arguing that most were instead living above their means on ‘easy credit’.
Ex-finance minister: Auto industry taxes ‘too high’
Excise Tax revenues from the auto industry are down because the rates are too high, a former finance minister believes, as he questioned whether the Bahamas is ready to endure “the pain” of fiscal adjustment.
Gov’t urged: Target Out Islands, vacant land on property tax
A realtor has urged the Government to examine whether it should impose real property tax on Bahamian-owned vacation homes in the Family Islands, plus vacant land in New Providence, in a bid to boost revenues.
FNM chair: BFS IPO should be 25-30% stake
The FREE National Movement’s (FNM) chairman has criticised the Government for mandating that only a 15 per cent stake in Bahamas Food Services (BFS) be sold to the Bahamian public, telling Tribune Business any initial public offering (IPO) should involve at least 25-30 per cent of the company’s equity.
We should be giving on every single day
Finally, the long wait is over, which means that you have ripped open the nicely-wrapped gifts. I trust that you have received the presents you expected.
Price Control too tight on margins
THE Government’s Price Control Department still does not provide enough margin to allow retailers to pay their expenses, one leading supermarket operator has told Tribune Business.
Benefits payout fall offsets FamGuard’s 58% annuity decline
FamGuard Corporation has unveiled a flat year-over-year net income for the 2012 third quarter and first nine months, with a 57.6 per cent drop in annuity deposits offset by a $4.5 million decline in net poliyholder benefits.
Development Bank needs 'road map'
THE Government needs to move with “some degree of haste” to provide additional funding for the Bahamas Development Bank (BDB), its former chairman saying its role in helping small businesses lacked clarity.
