The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas’ policy towards the multi-million dollar private pilot market was in total chaos last night, with Customs and Immigration line staff totally unaware of recently-issued marketing materials promising no overtime fee charges.

Tribune Business has in its possession a copy of the guide that Bahamian representatives were handing out to private pilots at the recent ‘Sun & Fun’ Lakeland Air Show in Florida, containing a personal pledge by Customs comptroller, Charles Turner, that his agency would not be levying service charges “regardless of port of entry or time of day”.

This promise, which carries both Mr Turner’s signature and personal photo, is not matching the reality on the ground, though.

Two private pilots, including Goodfellow Farms’ principal Ian Goodfellow, have confirmed to Tribune Business that they are still being charged the overtime fees by both Customs and Immigration. And line staff from both agencies, stationed at the country’s airports, have yet to see the letter from Mr Turner or be informed of any policy changes.

David Johnson, the Ministry of Tourism’s director-general, told Tribune Business yesterday that he was unaware of what Bahamas representatives had been handing out at Lakeland, and acknowledged the reputational damage that could be caused if the ‘on ground reality’ did not match the PR.

Told about the contents of Mr Turner’s signed letter, Mr Johnson replied that the Government had yet to change its position on the new and increased fees levied by the 2013-2014 Budget, although the issue was under review.

“I can only say that that hasn’t been communicated by the Ministry of Finance to us, so I’m surprised that that change has taken place,” he said of Mr Turner’s letter.

“It has not come to us, and we were at the table for discussions on the matter, unless it’s a personal oversight on my part, which I don’t think it is.”

Agreeing that Customs and Immigration officers stationed at ‘ports of entry’ could only act as instructed by headquarters, Mr Johnson added: “They have to go by the book, and this is not good.

“Obviously, we have conflicting information out there and need to get it clear. So that we have a very clear position, I have to get clarification from the Ministry of Finance and Customs.”

Tribune Business was unable to reach Mr Turner for comment yesterday, a message left on voice mail with his office not being returned.

But, in his letter issued to private pilots, Mr Turner promised that “the significance of the private flyer is very evident to us”, with Customs combining its general declaration and inter-island movement form into one - slashing bureaucracy for ‘island hoppers’.

Then, in his key announcement, Mr Turner stated: “Additionally, individuals flying for pleasure are not required to pay Customs service charges regardless of the port of arrival/departure or time of day.”

This is reiterated in the accompanying Private Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2014-2015, which categorically states: “No overtime Customs and Immigration fees for private aircraft visiting the islands of the Bahamas, where the pilot declares that he/she does not receive any remuneration and the flight is for recreational purposes.”

This would return the tax policy towards the private pilot industry back to the pre-2013-2014 Budget position, where just a $50 Customs processing fee per plane is paid flying into the Bahamas from abroad.

The 2014-2015 date ascribed to the Bill of Rights indicates that the Government may possibly make the policy reversal for its new fiscal year, which starts on July 1, but the lack of clarity - and failure to match marketing with on-ground policy - will only further damage the Bahamas’ reputation and cause extra market confusion.

This is already happening. Jim Parker, president of Caribbean Flying Adventures.com, a top pilot’s guide for planes flying in the region, speaking from Harbour Island, yesterday said he had spoken to Customs officers at five different airports and none had seen Mr Turner’s letter or was aware of its contents.

Mr Parker said officers he had spoken to were stationed at Nassau’s two fixed base operations (FBOs), Odyssey Aviation and Executive Flight Services, plus Exuma and North Eleuthera.

“This is such a simple thing to deal with, and there’s total confusion out there,” Mr Parker told Tribune Business. “It’s counter-productive to tell this people that overtime fees don’t apply, and then hit them with them when they arrive here.

“It’s absolutely outrageous, and how bizarre. You had thousands of folks at Sun and Fun, and you tell them there’s no overtime fee, and then they show up and they are charged by Immigration and Customs. It makes them mad and they don’t come back.”

Mr Parker backed the message in the Comptroller’s letter, but said it now needed to be translated into concrete policy and action.

Mr Parker previously estimated that each private plane, with three passengers and a pilot, spent $5,000 per week in the Bahamas. Taking the “peak” 40,000 arrivals figure from five years ago translated into a potential $200 annual million economic impact that was being jeopardised.

Thierry Pouille, an executive with Florida-based Air Journey and one of the Bahamas’s Flying Ambassadors, yesterday said he had seen the Lakeland marketing materials and backed them as ‘a good step forward”.

“What happened in Lakeland is the Comptroller of Customs, he put out an official document showing what was happening,” Mr Pouille said.

“I’m very happy we have an official word in writing, and that’s a great step in the right direction.”