The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

DEMOCRATIC National Alliance Leader Branville McCartney yesterday came to the defence of the business community, calling the government a “bully” over its handling of the implementation of Value Added Tax.

In a party statement issued yesterday, Mr McCartney said the government has yet to table important legislation to clear up public misconceptions about the new tax.

“Instead,” he said, “we have all been left to draw our own conclusions from the disjointed statements of various ministers. This is certainly not the way to oversee the transformation of the country’s tax structure. The level of economic uncertainty surrounding VAT could spell disaster for thousands of Bahamian businesses who are being forced to consider the termination of hundreds of hard working people.”

Mr McCartney said: “The Democratic National Alliance firmly believes that VAT could be rendered absolutely unnecessary if the government simply tightened its figurative belt through prudent fiscal policies and a comprehensive plan to recoup outstanding taxes and address wastage within the public sector, rather than add an additional burden to the backs of its citizens. 

“We stand behind the local business community in their opposition of VAT and again implore the government to delay if not completely abandon the idea.”

The DNA statement comes after Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis’ declaration that the government would not be “bullied or threatened” to postpone or cancel the implementation of Value Added Tax.

In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Halkitis was responding to comments made by SuperValue foodstore owner, Rupert Roberts, who warned that a 400 person lay-off may be “coming down the pipeline” across his various food retail interests unless the Government relents over its VAT proposal, Price Control, and other recent tax increases.

Mr Roberts told The Tribune that unless the Government responded to the industry’s cries with “quick action”, his supermarket chain’s first potential move would be to assess the future of its smaller, inner-city stores.

The statement read: “Is it a coincidence that the Minister chose that word to describe the stand being taken by the local business community? By definition to bully means to habitually badger, brow beat and intimidate. Is that not a more accurate description of the way this government has chosen to handle the impending implementation of VAT?”

“Rather than listen to reason,” Mr Roberts said in his statement, “the government has ignored the very valid questions and concerns raised by business owners, threatening them instead with heavy fines, and even jail time for non-compliance; even when members of their own agencies have been found deficient in this department.”