Taxpayer SOE subsidies surge by 19% to $655m
Taxpayer subsidies to loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are set to increase by more than $103m to $655m during the upcoming 2026-2027 fiscal year, driven largely by expanded healthcare spending, with other efforts focused on boosting transparency and efficiency for public-private partnerships (PPPs).
‘Cite the law’ used in $700m debt transfer
The Opposition’s leader yesterday urged the Government “to cite what law they are following” after it was revealed that $700m in net new borrowings, or debt, has been transferred to the National Investment Fund.
Finance minister hails ‘mould breaking’ growth
A Cabinet minister yesterday asserted that the Government is “clear eyed” about the challenges facing the Bahamian economy as he hailed this nation’s post-COVID rebound as “mould-breaking and outstanding”.
Bahamas’ import bill breaches $5bn mark
THE Bahamas imported around $5.1bn worth of goods in 2025, a 3 percent increase over the $4.9bn recorded in the prior year, while this nation’s total exports were relatively flat at $677.6m.
Sir Milo grandson’s legal ban: ‘Penalty doesn’t fit the crime’
A grandson of Sir Milo Butler, the first Bahamian governor general, yesterday disclosed he is “extremely crushed and disappointed” but still “holding my head high” after the prohibition on him practicing as an attorney for “misappropriating” $862,287 from AML Foods was upheld.
Fire devastates well-known gas station on Kemp Road
A FIRE tore through the Kemp Road Service Gas Station early Monday morning to leave one of the area’s most recognisable businesses heavily damaged, and residents and officials rallying around the family who have owned and operated it for decades.
GB Chamber seeks Gov’tand Port’s ‘collaboration’
The Grand Bahama business community is seeking greater transparency and consultation over reforms involving the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) and other development projects, arguing that investor confidence will depend on “visible progress” and clear execution plans.
Taxpayers forecast to pay $50m on controversial PPP
Bahamian taxpayers are scheduled to pay more than $50m for the Government’s Eight Mile Rock administrative complex, built by a contractor and developer linked to the general election day plane crash drug suspect, due to a 48.8 percent surge in costs and a near-$17m interest bill.
Pearl Island seeks dismissal of tourist’s leg-loss lawsuit
A Bahamian excursion destination and boat operator are both urging dismissal of a lawsuit brought by a US tourist over the loss of both her legs to a vessel’s propeller after staff allegedly told her to jump into the sea to urinate after being “plied with unsafe amounts of alcohol” and drugs.
‘Brutally honest’ Budget needed to shift trajectory
The Bahamas “is fiscally improving but structurally under-powered” as it enters tomorrow’s Budget, a well-known financial commentator is asserting, as he called for a revision to the 50 percent-debt-to-GDP target’s timing and the start of an “honest conversation” about taxation.
‘Phenomenal’ job creation if economy expanded 3.8%
The Bahamas would have seen “a phenomenal amount of jobs” created with the economy growing by almost 4 percent in real terms during 2025, a senior banker has suggested.
‘Dismiss $600m damages bid over Supreme Court slip-up’
Resorts World Bimini’s majority owner is demanding that the $600m damages claim launched against it by the project’s original developer be dismissed because it failed to obtain the Bahamian Supreme Court’s permission prior to bringing the action.
DIR VAT disputes a ‘huge confusion’ in real estate deals
A Bahamian realtor yesterday warned that disputes over property sale valuations are delaying transactions to the point where “everybody loses” as he urged the Government to place priority focus on making the Department of Inland Revenue’s (DIR) acceptance process as “seamless” as possible.
Opposition seeks answers on ‘ballooning’ Gov’t debt
The Opposition yesterday said it will demand “answers” from the Government on why the “ballooning” national debt is increasing at a much faster rate than its annual fiscal deficits and its continued reliance on borrowing amid record revenues.
Construction feels pressurefrom 30% aggregate jump
The Bahamian Contractors Association’s president yesterday warned that price hikes of up to 30 percent for aggregate materials, such as sand, and growing shortages of limestone fill are placing mounting pressure on construction with little sign that cost pressures will ease soon.
