EDITORIAL: Better to lose an election, than a country
BAHAMIANS have raised their voices against Government’s decision to raise the VAT tax from seven to 12 per cent. On the other hand, there are those who see no alternative but to raise taxes to stave off the looming financial crisis.
A COMIC'S VIEW: What a time to be alive
The year 2018 is turning out to be quite an eye opening experience for Bahamian voters who overwhelmingly brought the current Minnis administration to power in 2017. It’s a time to witness the same leaders in Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and Depu
EDITORIAL: New VAT hike must be revisited
IT IS said that the job of political leaders is to balance conflicting priorities and goals and make decisions based on the welfare and best interests of the people. That looks to be a sensible and laudable ideal. But it may be seen here in The Bahamas as hollow, if not risible, following the announcement in the Budget last week of a huge increase of 60 per cent in Value Added Tax, a move which will have predictably negative consequences for our nation across-the board.
DIANE PHILLIPS: Memories you can touch
On Sunday, I threw away a Scrabble box that was more than 50 years old. It was hard to do because my parents’ hands had touched it. My mother died in 1965, my father the following year. That Scrabble box was one of the few remaining things I had with a trace of their DNA on it.
EDITORIAL: Trump’s daily diet of six outright lies
PERHAPS the biggest casualty of the Donald Trump presidency in the United States has been the truth. Trump lies all the time, without appearing to hesitate first. There is no evidence Trump possesses any internal governor that would regulate his mendacious behaviour.
OAS has crucial role in region
The Organization of American States is now in its 70th year. An organisation long and naturally dominated by the United States, the OAS has been criticised for that and for other things. But whether they are speaking from the core of their conscience or playing to the TV cameras for points with viewers back home, Western Hemisphere heads of government and foreign ministers often make news when attending an OAS meeting.
ALICIA WALLACE: Why VAT rise hits hardest for the people who can least afford it
Bahamians tuned in to the Budget Communication in Parliament last Wednesday with great interest. After laying out a number of supposed benefits to the Bahamian people, Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest showed the price tag. The FNM administration intends to increase Value Added Tax (VAT) by 60 percent, taking it up from 7.5 percent to 12 percent on July 1. It expects this tax hike to increase revenue by $400m in the next fiscal year.
FACE TO FACE: Witnessing tears and violence drove Elaine to show a brighter path
Why do we hurt the ones we say we love? I believe somewhere in our hearts and minds when we hurt others, it’s because we were not loving ourselves. The love we say we have for others must be felt within the very core of our being. Once safe and secure in our own personal love, then we can have healthy, loving relationships that edify us rather than destroy us.
BUSINESS BITES: The Budget’s socialist absurdities
I see the new VAT-free Bread Basket will now include mustard. Why not ketchup? How did the Government’s expert nutritionist decide which flavouring is essential in the diet for the cash-strapped family?
EDITORIAL: PUBLIC CONSULTATION NEEDED ON OFFSHORE OIL
People familiar with The Bahamas who have also travelled to other comparable holiday places know we have something special to offer here. We are blessed with the beauty of nature and an equable climate with fine beaches surrounded by what those who have been to the Exumas claim to be the clearest waters on the planet.
WORLD VIEW: Let PM Mia Mottley’s seed sprout across the Caribbean
IN the wake of the clean sweep by the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) of all the seats in general elections on May 24 for the Barbados House of Representatives, the problem of no parliamentary opposition has rightly become a matter for wider discussion in the Caribbean and farther abroad.
EDITORIAL: ‘Birdie’ thanks God for Hanna-Martin and PLP
“THANK God for Ms Hanna Martin and the PLP government. The Tribune takes credit why?”
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.
ALICIA WALLACE: Mottley cruises to electoral wipeout
On May 24, 2018, Barbados elected its first female prime minister. Mia Amor Mottley led the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) to victory, winning over 74 percent of the votes. This election brought an end to ten years of governance by the Democratic Labour Party (DPL) led by Freundel Stuart since 2010. The BLP won all 30 seats in the House of Assembly—a first in the country’s history. Political parties in The Bahamas should look at the BLP’s campaign and collateral as there is a great deal that can be learned and practiced.
