The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Free National Movement’s (FNM) chairman yesterday charged that the Government’s multi-million dollar unpaid bill for land it has compulsorily acquired was a good indication of how the Christie administration will treat Value-Added Tax (VAT) credits, warning that businesses should not expect to receive their payments on a timely basis.

Responding to recent comments by minister of state for finance, Michael Halkitis, in which he stated that title disputes have contributed to delays in the Government paying out money for land compulsorily acquired from Bahamians for public works projects, Darron Cash said: “The fact of the matter is that this government continues to take people’s land, spend on projects for their ‘select’ contractors, acquire more land and then spend some more.

“Rather than pay the owners for the land, the Christie Government simply accumulates IOUs.

“This government’s failure to pay Bahamians for land taken from them is very instructive, because it provides a very good indication of how they are likely to handle the tax credits that will be due to businesses once VAT is imposed in a few months. In summary, businesses should not expect to receive payments from government on a timely basis.”