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Bran: US gives ‘kick in hip’ to Govt policies

The US has delivered “another kick in the hip” to the Government’s conduct of economic policy with its latest transparency concerns over public sector contracts, the Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) leader charged yesterday.

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PM 'in la la land' on Bimini as top PPP

A well-known QC yesterday said Prime Minister Prime Minister Perry Christie was “living in la la land” to tout the Resorts World Bimini development as the best example of a successful public-private sector partnership (PPP).

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Union chief seeks 100-133% increase in minimum wage

The Trade Union Congress’s (TUC) president yesterday backed a 100-133 per cent increase in the Bahamas’ minimum wage, describing this as “reasonable”.

Governor: Data, privacy regimes may need reform

The Bahamas may have to reform its data and confidentiality regimes to mitigate the threat posed by the loss of correspondent banking relationships to the financial sector and wider economy, the Central Bank’s governor has warned.

Gov't warned: 'We can't take another shock' with NHI

The Government was yesterday warned that National Health Insurance (NHI) would not succeed without private sector buy-in, one executive warning: "The economy cannot take another shock." Edison Sumner, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation's (BCCEC) chief executive, told Tribune Business that an unsustainable NHI programme could have "catastrophic effects for a fragile economy" that was still bedding down Value-Added Tax (VAT).

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Gov't urged: End 'ridiculous foot dragging' on BEC

The Government has been urged to end its "ridiculous foot dragging" over the Bahamas Electricity Corporation's (BEC) part-privatisation and wider energy reform, as the private sector readies its own study on the issue.

PM cuts 2016 GDP growth to just 0.5%

Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday slashed a full percentage point off the Bahamas’ projected economic growth for 2016, cutting real GDP expansion estimates to just 0.5 per cent.

Buyers 'pull back' on Moody's threat

International buyers are "pulling back" due to uncertainties caused by Moody's threatened downgrading of the Bahamas to 'junk' status, realtors have warned.

NAD eyes fee rise after $15.1m loss

The Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) is currently mulling another fee increase, as it predicts a “few more years” of losses following $15.1 million in ‘red ink’ incurred during its 2015 financial year.

Broker severs ties with ex-investor over $1m ‘misuse’

A Bahamian broker/dealer yesterday said it had severed all ties with a former shareholder after he allegedly misappropriated $1 million that was intended to be an equity investment in the firm.

Insurance recovery may wait until 2017

The Bahamian insurance industry may have to wait until mid-2017 to return to strong growth, with one leading underwriter saying its main goal is to “hold the fort”.

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Private sector targets NHI concerns Christmas present

The Bahamian private sector is hoping to present the Government with a consolidated list of its National Health Insurance (NHI) concerns before Christmas, amid fears that the scheme’s cost estimates “might not be the most ideal”.

Contractors Association: No Baha Mar woe reports yet

Senior Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) executives say they have yet to receive reports of local construction companies not getting due payments for work done on the $3.5 billion Baha Mar project.Senior Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) executives say they have yet to receive reports of local construction companies not getting due payments for work done on the $3.5 billion Baha Mar project.

$6.6bn debt ‘well beyond’ the need for stabilisation

The Bahamas is “well beyond” the point where it merely needs to “stabilise” its $6.6 billion national debt, a former Chamber chairman said yesterday, as he warned that the economy was showing “no desire for growth”.

‘Absolutely imperative’ Baha Mar doesn’t fail

BAHA Mar’s transformation into a sustainable mega-resort is an “absolute imperative” for the Bahamas and its economy, the Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive says.

Gov't pledges to bridge 30k home digital divide

The Government's long-awaited Electronic Communications Sector policy pledges to bridge the 'Digital Divide' that has left 30,000 Bahamian households without broadband Internet, deeming this essential for "further and faster" economic growth.

Hotel union on gratuity ‘red alert’

The Bahamas Hotel Catering & Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) yesterday said it had placed its members on ‘red alert’, amid fears that other New Providence hotels will attempt to follow Baha Mar’s lead and eliminate the 15 per cent gratuity enjoyed by hotel employees.

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Bahamians warned: Brace for post-VAT delinquency cut-off

Bahamians must get used to companies increasingly cutting them off for non-payment due to Value-Added Tax’s (VAT) cash flow impact, a well-known businessman warned yesterday.

Bahamas can’t afford ‘another five years’ of secretive governance

The Bahamas cannot afford “another five-year cycle” of unaccountable government spending, a governance reformer warned yesterday, arguing that a Fiscal Responsibility Act should have “preceded” Value-Added Tax (VAT).

Govt tax crackdown exposes ‘desperation’

The Christie administration’s much-trumpeted tax crackdown has exposed its “desperation” over the strained fiscal position, the Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) leader yesterday charging: “The Government is broke.”