The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

An east Grand Bahama business owner wants a further extension to the Special Economic Recovery Zone’s (SERZ) tax breaks given the huge amount of recovery work still to be completed.

Nolan Bartlett, owner/operator of Shaniqua’s Lodging, told Tribune Business yesterday that he has consistently had problems accessing the tax concessions.

“We never took advantage of the concessions. We have always heard about it and we saw other people getting things, but we never had the fortune of getting anything,” he said.

Grand Bahama, along with Abaco, were made “tax free zones” in 2019 following the devastating impact of Hurricane Dorian.

The tax breaks and concessions were extended several times due to the difficulties involved in rebuilding from the storm, which were worsened by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Bartlett said: “East End still needs a lot of work. A lot of people are still displaced by the storm. A lot of communities are just empty, so any extension of the concessions would be great. Every time we ask for information, nobody seems to know what it is we are talking about. We keep getting the run around and no one seems to be able to help. We don’t know who to go to.

“Before the election I hear some sip-sip that the Government is giving out grants for businesses, but when we started to check on it people never know what it is we were talking about so we left it alone.”

Peter Taylor, general manager of Express Foodmart in West End, Grand Bahama, voiced optimism about the tax breaks that the Government said in the Speech from the Throne will be extended to all Grand Bahama. “If the Government will extend the tax free concessions for West End, Grand Bahama, that would be excellent.,” he added.

“West End did not get as much damage as the East End; we were barely touched. We did not get hit that badly. The place that got touched was East Grand Bahama, but West End didn’t get any flooding or sustained any high winds.”