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‘Tell the truth on where VAT revenue has gone’

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FNM chairman Sidney Collie.

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

Free National Movement Chairman Sidney Collie yesterday urged the government to tell the truth regarding the nearly $1bn in value added tax revenue it collected from taxpayers since the tax was imposed on Bahamians.

Mr Collie was responding to State Finance Minister Michael Halkitis’ explanation of how the government has used the VAT collections at the Progressive Liberal Party’s opening night of convention on Tuesday.

The Democratic National Alliance and Marco City MP Greg Moss also took issue with Mr Halkitis’ utterances on the matter.

The government rolled out the tax in January 2015 at a rate of 7.5 per cent on most goods and services. In November, Mr Halkitis said more than $850m in VAT had been collected.

“The PLP wants to continue to tout that by implementing VAT they have helped cut our deficit, but now they claim that they spent it on projects,” Mr Collie said in a press statement. “What is the truth? What did they spend the money on? The people still want to know where their money went.”

“Economy failing, ease of doing business at record lows, downgrade of our credit rating to junk status, our country’s deficit continuing to increase – yet the PLP wants to tout their work to implement the onerous VAT tax.

“They must truly be delusional to think the Bahamian people believe any of their empty rhetoric. They told us that by implementing VAT they would be able to reduce the deficit, but once again that has been another broken promise of this PLP government.”

Mr Halkitis has previously said collected VAT money goes into the consolidated fund, allowing the government to pay its expenses.

However, on Tuesday night, the state minister took a different tone, claiming the substantial collection went to fund various initiatives and defended VAT’s implementation.

However, many of the projects Mr Halkitis mentioned were initiatives that the government borrowed money to pay for.

He punctuated his speech with the repeated phrase “That’s where the VAT money gone,” prompting the enthusiastic crowd to chant the phrase.

At the time he said: “It is a known fact that the Bahamas government relied too heavily on customs duties and stamp tax as its principal revenue source, a tax regime that failed to capture the service component of the economy; about two-thirds of the Bahamian economy is built on service.

“Value added tax captured that economic activity that went untaxed for many years. Continued inaction was not an option.”

Mr Halkitis also said: “As a result of our reform programme and despite a stubbornly difficult global environment, we have been able to get our finances on a good footing while at the same time doubling the investment in scholarships from $7.73m to $16.3m. This empowers young Bahamians. That’s where the VAT money gone.

“(We) provided the financial resources to transition from the College of the Bahamas to The University of Bahamas at well over $12m. That’s where the VAT money gone.

“We are building new schools and have invested tens of millions of dollars in repairs and upgrades of existing schools, thus empowering our young people. That’s where the VAT money gone.

“(We) provided the money in excess of $150m to introduce comprehensive National Health Insurance in short order for all our people, but especially those in most need and who cannot afford private insurance. This empowers our people. That’s where the VAT money gone.

“In preparation for NHI, we spent tens of millions of dollars on a new Critical Care Block, a new hospital in Exuma, upgrades to health clinics and at PMH in addition to new ambulance fleet. That’s where the VAT money gone.

“(We) facilitated a new fleet of aircraft for Bahamasair at a cost of $100m. A modern, safe and efficient fleet reduces state subsidies and improves public safety. This builds a modern Bahamas. That’s where the VAT money gone.”

Mr Halkitis also said tens of millions of dollars were spent on roads, docks and seawalls in Andros, Exuma, Mayaguana, Abaco, Grand Bahama, Cat Island, adding that the government invested in a new fleet for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force at a cost of some $232m to protect our borders and marine resources.

Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Leader Branville McCartney said in a press statement yesterday that Mr Halkitis’ comments were “troubling”.

“Nothing is more amazing than the junior minister for finance, Michael Halkitis, sharing with us what he did with our value added tax revenue and the government revenue overall,” the statement said.

“Yes, he kept a straight face through it all and was very, very serious in his dissertation. This is why we are troubled by the presentation centred on those remarks. News flash to the PLP: The Democratic National Alliance, and by extension the people of the Bahamas, we know some of the things you spent the VAT money on. We know you messed it up with your pet projects and wasteful spending for things that went 100xs over budget. That much we know.

“We also wanted to know where is the Central Revenue Agency and the legislation you were supposed to bring to Parliament to create that agency, in the attempt to move collection of public money’s out of the ineffective system you said VAT was supposed to counteract by putting in place a new oversight body? Under a DNA government you will have greater oversight and a separation of the Ministry of Finance’s Revenue and Expenditure arms, to keep it under the power of two persons: The minister for finance and the financial secretary by extension, is a recipe for waste, corruption, theft and bad practices,” Mr McCartney added.

Meanwhile, Mr Moss accused the government of spending VAT money with their cronies.

He said: “I hear this same type of approach when I hear the prime minister saying that he will now take seriously the idea of mortgage relief. The bottom line is we’ve had five years, five years for the people to see performance that would advance the interests of this country.

“And during that time, what we’ve had with the VAT money, we’ve had a promise that the VAT money would be used to repay the national debt and it has not been done, I’ve stood in Parliament and showed the people where the VAT money went frankly in the first year, when the government refused to fund the Ministry of Health on the assumption that it would get money through NHI, it went to the people and said ‘oh we’ve had a savings’ when it had no savings, it just didn’t fund the MOH. And it’s projections were increased from money coming in from NHI never happened.”

“So the government had in that budget of two years ago, a $500m hole, which they filled with the proceeds from VAT. More than just that though, what we have is a government that’s out of control on spending, what we have is a government that is unresponsive to the call for transparency. What we have is a corrupt government, and I’ve said before in the House and I’ll say it again: If we are to fix this country we must start by dealing with the question of corruption in this country,” Mr Moss said.

Comments

John 7 years, 11 months ago

Lying and stealing and corruption leads to killings and murder. Blood touching blood. The ending of one murder is the beginning of another. They lie to the people and overburdened them with taxes.

theplpsucks 7 years, 11 months ago

when will the plp supporters ever wake up and hold them accountable? what will it take? it doesnt matter what they do or say, they are loyal to sickening degree which is seriously dangerous for this country.

John 7 years, 11 months ago

And prices continue to climb$5.00 for a loaf of bread $9.00 for a gallon of milk. Gas is almost to $4.5

Honestman 7 years, 11 months ago

I just pity the next administration that is going to have to clear up the sh*t left behind by these criminals masquerading as politicians. Halkitis may scrub up better than the rest of them but he is no better. He knows fine well that the VAT went into the black hole that is the consolidated fund never to be seen or accounted for again.

Publius 7 years, 11 months ago

I just pity the next administration that is going to have to clear up the sh*t left behind by these criminals masquerading as politicians.

True, though the bigger pity is they would be clueless to do so,

ThisIsOurs 7 years, 11 months ago

I was thinking the same. I actually like Halkitis, think he's brilliant. But for him to try to sell this truth "stretchiness" to poor unsuspecting Bahamians while the country is falling off the cliff is simply unbelievable, unconscionable, despicable, unthinkable, dishonorable and downright disgusting. I can't believe he of all people is spreading this crap.

If VAT paid for all of these things, WHERE DA BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET MONEY GONE????

Publius 7 years, 11 months ago

Why doesn't the FNM analyze the two most consecutive budgets and tell the nation about proposed and actual expenditure during VAT years, which provides a good portion of the answers to the questions they are raising? Oh, what am I saying? Nevermind. Moving on...

TalRussell 7 years, 11 months ago

Comrades! Infrequently, a couple of the bloggers will post about what the economy The Bahamaland would like if the Bahamaland Dollar (BSD) was devalued. What is never addressed in this or any other forum is that the purchasing power of the BSD at home is worth only 60 Cents on the dollar - while in the US, it's purchasing power is near equal with the US Dollar. In many cases the BSD's purchasing power has already been reduced to 39 Cents on the Dollar.... We see this most when shopping locally for groceries among other consumer goods and products.

banker 7 years, 10 months ago

True Dat !!!! There are several major things that Bahamians don't realise:

1) They are taxed higher in real terms, than jurisdictions with income tax, sales tax, etc etc. In economic terms, the average real tax rate is significantly higher than anywhere else.

2) If Bahamians pay a higher tax rate than others, then you cannot compare apples to oranges. Say the average income per GDP between two countries is similar - say $20,000 per person, but one country taxes its populace at 20% and the other taxes at 38%, in terms of real purchasing power, which country is better off?

OMG 7 years, 11 months ago

Just unbelievable, it is the same as a married couple being deep in debt and about to loose their house when he gets a substantial pay raise. Pay of the mortgage debt----Hell no ,lets go and buy a big screen TV, expensive clothes and holiday. By the way the clinic in Exuma (sorry hospital) was completed sometime ago and never opened. How about gas prices where you pay tax (VAT) on a product already taxed. PLP supporters are so gullible you could sell them a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

bogart 7 years, 10 months ago

In many ways that is true because Bahamians unlike Americans are not quite accustomed to filling out 1040 US TAX forms or deal with other investmentsREIT etcetc on a yearly basis to account for their incones, tax crefuns etc. In many cases Bahamian Mortgagors almost always complets a half filled Budget assessment form within a few minutes hurridly during their 1 hour lunch break to qualify for a mortgage with the bank more concerned with the applicant meeting their TDSR total debt service ratio including often missing out monthly loan payments to 'qualify' and perhaps encouraged by a loan officer. Loan officers must give out a volume of mortgages to get a favourable staff assessment report. There is noone to 'educate' the borrowers who are at the mercy of the banks controlled by foreign headoffices and decision making officers many of whom who ave never set foot in the Bahamas. Incredible this nonsense has continued and the Bahamas having the most Caribbean bad debts. Bahamian banks never lose because bad debts are lodged in legal judgements in the records even after the house is repossessed and sold and there is a shortfall. Absolutely incredible that Bahamian mortgagors are not more protected from these banks and their policies and more worse wannabee politicians seem to have no clue or interest in protecting bank customers. Why.

Sickened 7 years, 10 months ago

The end of the rainbow is election day and the gullible will all be wearing yellow.

truetruebahamian 7 years, 10 months ago

Yellow is the colour of - you guessed it ,, and as it ages it stinks just the same.

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