By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
The Prime Minister yesterday met with the Ministry of Finance and Bahamian accountants to address a "very serious issue" over planned changes to business licence regulations.
Dr Hubert Minnis, pictured, admitted to the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountant (BICA) conference that the situation has "gained much commentary", with the body now preparing to set out its concerns in writing.
Gowon Bowe, BICA's president, told Tribune Business: "Our membership has concerns, and we have raised them with the Department of Inland Revenue, the Ministry of Finance and the minister himself.
"We are in the process of writing to them formally as it relates to what the accounting professional standards say in terms of audits etc, and what they have written; how does that juxtapose against those, and really making recommendations on what is the most appropriate attestation that they should be looking for."
He further explained: "Under the new regulations, only businesses over $10m [in turnover] are required to actually have attestation of their business license application done, whereas before it was $500,000 and then it went to $1m. It dropped to $100,000 in 2015.
"There is concern as to whether the ministry appropriately considered the level of attestation for companies under $10m. I think the aim was to make it easier for businesses, but they were asked to file full financial statements, which has never been done before, and bank statements for the year."
Mr Bowe said companies have expressed concern over the need to provide banking statements, adding: "Businesses have expressed a tremendous amount of concern over submitting bank statements, which are very private and personal and don't represent solely the sales and expenses.
"They may have loans and repayments, capital contributions and dividends. They may have a whole slew of cash flows that run though and have nothing to do with revenue, which is upon which you pay the Business License.
"We're really saying that for those over $10m, to require an audit when you have [year-end at] December 31 and [Business License filing/payment in] March, even public companies are not getting them out in that time, though there may be some. Even regulated entities under the Central Bank, the Insurance Commission and Securities Commission have until April. When you're asking for an audit, even though those are larger companies, it shows a lack of understanding of what goes into an audit."
Dr Minnis touched on the issue during his address to BICA members at the opening of Accountants Wee, saying: "Amendments to the Business License regulations have garnered much commentary. The technical staff is in the process of working with the council of BICA to address the objectives of the Government. I meet this evening at 3pm with members of the Ministry of Finance and BICA. Business License is a very serious issue."
Comments
bcitizen 6 years, 1 month ago
When are we going to advance and start taxing profits, not turnover?
Islandboy242242 6 years, 1 month ago
Agreed. Either after WTO or most likely 2021 to boost election chances. Turnover is easier for them to compare to the VAT filings, but isn't fair for a 21st century business environment. Everyone has identified it as a problem, and vexes from Jan - March about it, but nothing ever done & businesses focus on something else until filing time again.
The_Oracle 6 years, 1 month ago
But finance wants ALL the details, right down to the last penny. After all, if your gonna grab money, you first have to know where it is, or where it is going!
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 1 month ago
Precisely! LMAO
bogart 6 years, 1 month ago
SO DEY WANTS TO KNOW IF...... SWEETHEART MONEY .....COMI G OFF DA BUSINESS CHECKING ACCOUNT.....MONEY FER GAMBLING......OUTSIDE CHILLREN GETTING POCKET MONEY......WHO TEKKING IN PLENTY CASH FROM CROOKS AN PASSING IT THROUGH ACCOUNT.....WHO BUYING TINGS OUTSIDE BUSINESS ACTIVITIES.....HOW MANY SWEETIES GETTING MONEY OFF DA BUSINESS ACCOUNT.....HEHHEHHEH.....NO WONDER ...... BASIC FUNDAMENTALS........many businesses operate STRICT BANK CONDITIONS... wid OVERDRAFT....agreements to pay write checks... for ..SPECIFIED DESIGNATED BUSINESS..... related transactions.......IT IS THE DUTY OF THE....BANK.... BUSINESS ACCOUNT MANAGER...DESiGNATED BANK OFFICER ....to examine MONITOR....the business payments conducted on the business account ....to see if the overdraft or business account USED FOR SPECIFIC BUSINESS PURPOSES.......is not have cheqies...drawn to buy Luxury car..etc...and put stop to it....the Bank lending money out has a duty to see that the purpose of business for which the account is designated ....is for that purpose....PUT A STOPPPPPP TO SLACKNESS.....CLOSE ACCOUNT....CONTAIN...DEBT...SELL COLLATERAL......TO...PREVENT BANK LOSS...,!!!,!DAS WHY WID ALL THE BUSINESSES ACCOUNTS ....BANK OF THE BAHAMAS.....PASSED TO BESOLVE NEEDS TO BE EXAMINED.......to see how the taxpayers bank money was spent....!!!!!.....to see if business cheques was written for odder purposes....why did these businesses fail..??.?were bankers negligent....???.....WHY DID TAXPAYERS GET CHARGED 100 MILLION TO BUY ASSETS BANK COLLATERAL WORTH LESS THAN 25 MILLION.....???....etc...see Nassau Guardian Business Oct 28,2016...Tribune Business Oct 31, 2017...
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