$110m collected in VAT in first three months
THE government has collected $110m in value added tax payments during the first three months of the year, Prime Minister Perry Christie told the House of Assembly yesterday.
Selection of mobile provider has been delayed
THE selection of the country’s second cellular mobile provider has been delayed, Prime Minister Perry Christie revealed during his 2015-2016 Budget communication yesterday.
Duty rate on cars cut, but ban on vehicles over ten years old
PRIME Minister Perry Christie said the revenue performance of value added tax (VAT) since its implementation in January has opened the door for several customs duty reductions and some tariff eliminations to ease the burden on Bahamians.
No new tax ‘at this time’ to pay for NHI scheme
PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday insisted that his administration is not “stupid” in its handling of the economy as he announced the government’s decision not to impose additional taxes on Bahamians “at this time” to fund the roll-out of National Health Insurance (NHI).
Deficit cut by ‘two-thirds’
PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday boasted of his administration’s fiscal achievements during the last financial year as he expressed optimism in the continued growth of the economy going into the 2015/2016 budget cycle.
FNM says budget lacks detail and is full of misplaced optimism
THE Free National Movement yesterday criticised Prime Minister Perry Christie’s 2015/2016 Budget communication, saying that it lacked detail and was a “fanciful” document filled with misplaced optimism.
PM repeats that Baha Mar resolution is near
DURING his budget communication yesterday Prime Minister Perry Christie said Baha Mar’s developer is nearing the end of talks with its general contractor on the completion of the project and the announcement of the resort’s opening date.
Constituency allowances up by $12,000
STATE Minister for Finance Michael Halkitis tabled a bill in the House of Assembly yesterday that will raise the annual constituency office allowance of members of Parliament by $12,000 to $30,000 a year.
2015/2016 BUDGET: Deficit slashed by two thirds
In his 2015/2016 Budget communication on Wednesday, Prime Minister Perry Christie told the House of Assembly that the Bahamas' budget deficit has been slashed by nearly two thirds.
Chipman hits out at lack of accountability
PUBLIC Accounts Committee Chairman Hubert Chipman said the official opposition is beset with a “looming crisis of confidence” springing from what it believes to be a wide-scale “lack of accountability and transparency” in the Christie administration.
House in uproar
TEMPERS flared in the House of Assembly yesterday as members of the governing party, the Opposition and House Speaker Dr Kendal Major argued about the Public Accounts Committee’s rejection of the Speaker’s recent order to suspend its controversial investigation into Urban Renewal.
Deputy PM 'unaware' of plans to cut 200 BEC jobs
DEPUTY Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said yesterday he was “unaware” of reported plans to let go an estimated 200 employees from the Bahamas Electricity Corporation after the government owned entity is taken over by new management.
Baha Mar urged not to announce new opening dates
TOURISM Minister Obie Wilchcombe urged Baha Mar executives to avoid publicly releasing any future potential opening dates for the $3.5 billion project, saying the focus has to now be on exceeding the expectations of the world in the face of the bad press sparked by repeated delays.
Wilchcombe: Carnival did not attract as many as expected
TOURISM Minister Obie Wilchcombe said now that the seeds have been planted for Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival to grow and become a premier cultural festival, the opening of Baha Mar and other hotels are critical if they expect to have more visitors come for the event.
Freedom of Information Bill will need update to data protection laws
DATA protection legislation must be updated if the newly released draft Freedom of Information Bill is implemented in its current form, according to acting Data Commissioner Sharmie Farrington-Austin.
