TRANSPORT and Housing Minister JoBeth Coleby Davis said officials would meet the Hope Town District Council this week to discuss the increase in boat registration fees, which they called outrageous. Photo: Moise Amisial
By JADE RUSSELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
jrussell@tribunemedia.net
TRANSPORT and Housing Minister JoBeth Coleby Davis said officials would meet the Hope Town District Council this week to discuss the increase in boat registration fees, which they called outrageous.
Chief councillor Jeremy Sweeting said the increases would ultimately affect the island’s fishermen, tour guides, and rental companies. He said some Abaco boat owners “boycotted” the increase.
“We are actually preparing to have a meeting with them they reached out to the ministry,” Mrs Coleby-Davis said yesterday. “And we just responded, our port-acting controller was actually on vacation last week. And so, we’re trying to organise to host that meeting with them this week so we can understand much of what their queries and concerns are because then we’d be able to take it and address it with the ministry finance team to further assist.”
Mr Sweeting noted in a press release over the weekend that an owner of a 20ft boat would previously pay an annual fee of $20 to have their boat registered.
“As a result of the new increase in fees,” he said, “that same boat owner would now pay $700 plus an additional $75 for an inspection. This increase from $20 to $775 is an increase of 3,775 percent!”
“Surely, this goes against the pledge made by Prime Minister Davis in his ‘wrap up’ remarks that concluded the budget debate where he stated there wouldn’t be any ‘major new taxes’.”
Comments
themessenger 1 year, 4 months ago
Repost: "Tavares LaRoda, the New Providence Port Authority’s chairman, previously told this newspaper that the increases to fees that have not been adjusted for two decades were designed to try and catch up with, but not exceed, inflation that has occurred over that period as the Government seeks to incentivise more boat owners to register their vessels in The Bahamas."
What brand of rum this man drinking, does he really believe that increasing registration fees by 1,400% is an incentive for people to register their boat in the Bahamas??? Does this idiot even own a boat, does he have any idea what boat owners have to struggle to pay already in the way of dockage, insurance, maintenance, fuel costs, just to mention a few?? And how does the reduction of duty for first time boat owners benefit people who have owned their boats for years, for some of us a lifetime, are you going to give us tax exemption for every year we've owned the vessel? As someone else posted earlier we all need to boycott this brain fart until the government puts forward something more sensible and more equitable.
ThisIsOurs 1 year, 4 months ago
It cannot be that Ministry of Finance is spending time drafting bad economic policies only to find weeks and months later that they've created confusion and had a direct impact of reducing revenue.
This is happening over and over and over again. Either PM Davis is responsible for the confusion or Simon Wilson is responsible for the confusion. But somebody needs to accept responsibility and recognize the end result is confusion.
Randomly increasing fees to reach a magic revenue target does not work. That's not how pricing works. If the Ministry of Transport for example, suddenly raised car licensing fees from 200 dollars to 5000 dollars thinking theyd have a jump in revenue because everybody needs a car, it would actually backfire, theyd see a dramatic decrease in revenue, more people would either break the law or more would catch the bus.
Pricing affects consumption. Peter Turnquest's 12% VAT increase and subsequent reduction in customs revenue should have taught them this
Sickened 1 year, 4 months ago
I ain't never catching no bus. Our drivers are suicidal.
LastManStanding 1 year, 4 months ago
Abaco people deserve this since most of them are too afraid of being called "racist" to advocate for their independence. We could implement the very same tax regime we are dealing with from Nassau now and keep all of the money that we send to end up stolen/wasted on some stupid shit and not have to deal with asinine decisions like this one, but too many people let silly words have power over them and cower in fear as a response. Like get real, these governments are never going to improve and only see Abaco as a cow that they can milk for revenue to steal or piss away, therefore the only solution for better governance is to go on our own. We have the economy and power to do it, there is no excuse not to give it a shot.
bahamianson 1 year, 4 months ago
To meet, and what? The government knows exactly what it wants to do. It is not going to change its mind. Going there is only to appease the voters, just like the meeting with the gas dealers and the illegal numbers guys whom became ambassadors.
DWW 1 year, 4 months ago
lol
BONEFISH 1 year, 4 months ago
An adjustment or revision to these fees will have to be made at mid-year budget.Tax policy is complex and not cut and dry as most bahamians believe.
This increased push to collect taxes is due to the international lending pressures. The Bahamas government is going to increasingly find it difficult to borrow to fund it's deficits.
LastManStanding 1 year, 4 months ago
I agree with your assessment that they are doing this to try and bail them out of their shitty fiscal situation, but there comes a point where once you overtax that people will just refuse to pay and operate illegally or just shut their business down entirely. There is a delicate equilibrium between additional revenue and the consequences of an additional burden that must be maintained, and this administration is veering off hard into the overtax side not considering that there will be consequences if they overdo it.
ThisIsOurs 1 year, 4 months ago
Been saying for sometime that all of these dystopian price increases appeared to be coming from a point of desperation and the country must be hanging on by its fingernails.
Even given that what they're doing doesnt work, so why keep doing it. What the country really needs is honest men and women with character and ethical standards. All kind of money would show up because the holes leaking money would get plugged up, innovation would increase because noone would try to steal ideas from, squash or extort entrepreneurs and we'd start to get quality work for appropriately priced contracts.
Do I believe that will happen? No. Because we choose leaders from a bunch of men with big egos who believe the public service is their woman shopping cart, see no problem with serial sweethearting or dating women 16-18 while in their 60's, men who believe the goal is to extort some foreign investor for a million dollar payday. That's what we have to choose from. Local govt wont change anything because it's the same people looking for a big payday in politics. Brave Davis talk up and down about strengthening procurement then justify some preacher on a verbal self insured construction contract
The carnival that paid the ruling party 200,000 every year for access was a prime example. "When you in is your turn". It makes no sense. If this was above board I'm assisting you getting proper permits, it dont matter who in charge, the fee for an occassional license is the fee for an occassional license. Customs duty is customs duty. This "looks" like nothing short of extortion
Sickened 1 year, 4 months ago
"...so we can understand much of what their queries and concerns are..."
The problem is the huge increase. That's the problem. You don't need to spend money traveling there to know that. Jobeth truly is a fool for letting that stupid remark come out of her mouth. I suggest she be treated like bad actors on stage back in the good old days. Rotten tomatoes anyone?
BMW 1 year, 4 months ago
. " so we can understand much of their queries and concerns my oh my we really have some intelligent people in office. My oh my let me off this bus F.F.S. Last Man Standing, noted! Like I said the other day this country has been for sale since pings time!
Commenting has been disabled for this item.