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PM 'elated' over 75% Our Lucaya occupancy level

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Prime Minister said he was "elated" upon learning that Our Lucaya's current occupancy levels were at 75 per cent, adding that an owner other than Hutchison Whampoa would likely have closed the Freeport resort.

Profits triple as BAF's 'sleeping giant awakes'

Profits triple as BAF's 'sleeping giant awakes' By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor BAF Financial's owners believe they have "awoken the sleeping giant" during their first five years at the helm, "tripling profits" and doubling total assets to $150

Mortgage finance 'biggest hurdle' to housing recovery

Mortgage financing access remains "the biggest hurdle" to reviving the domestic real estate market, causing up to three deals for the same property to fall through.

De-risk 'client migration' to benefit larger banks

Correspondent bank 'de-risking' could drive another wave of Bahamian financial services consolidation by sparking "client migration" to larger institutions, a former finance minister has warned.

$8K PER MONTH LOSSES CLOSE GB'S 'FAVOURITE EATERY'

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A well-known Bahamian businessman yesterday told Tribune Business he had closed "Freeport's favourite restaurant" because it had been losing between $6,000-$8,000 per month for the past two years, adding that rent

$8K PER MONTH LOSSES CLOSE GB'S 'FAVOURITE EATERY'

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A well-known Bahamian businessman yesterday told Tribune Business he had closed "Freeport's favourite restaurant" because it had been losing between $6,000-$8,000 per month for the past two years, adding that rent

FIELDS NAMED AS TOP INSURANCE REGULATOR

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Former ColinaImperial executive Michele Fields has been appointed as the Bahamas' chief insurance regulator, Tribune Business can reveal, the Government believing her industry background will allow enhanced superv

$150M TRUST URGED TO RESCUE HOUSING MARKET

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Government was yesterday urged to invest $100-$150 million into a Foreclosure Trust as a way to solve this nation's mortgage/housing crisis, a well-known businessman telling Tribune Business that the returns g

Leading importers face ‘major’ VAT uncertainty

Major importers were yesterday said to be facing “major” uncertainty over how Customs will calculate duty rates post-January 1, a factor that is preventing them from making essential computer system adjustments.

IDB to combat 'stodgy' image

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) country representative yesterday pledged to reach out more effectively to the Bahamian private sector, admitting that the institution was perceived as "too stodgy and bu

Less than 1/4 of NIB pension recipients come from poorest 20%

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Fewer than one in four Bahamians receiving a National Insurance Board (NIB) non-contributory pension come from the poorest 20 per cent of society, an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report disclosing that pl

Green economy gives ‘opportunities galore’

The Government would help create a “far greater” number of “meaningful” Bahamian jobs if it abandoned its current development approach in favour of the ‘green economy’, a well-known QC believes.

Banks to ‘double’ VAT recovery.... to just 10%

The Bahamian banking industry is hopeful it might be able to recover ‘double’ the amount of Value-Added Tax (VAT) inputs than previously thought, as one institution yesterday revealed its total tax burden will increase by $6-$7 million in two years.

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Gov’t urged: Don’t lose momentum on ‘sole tax panacea’

The Government has been urged to set a date for the Central Revenue Agency’s (CRA) creation, the Tax Coalition’s chair fearing that momentum on a tax compliance “panacea” may be lost.

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BIA chair warns on Brexit's potential to impact FDI, banking

The Bahamas Insurance Association's (BIA) chairman yesterday warned it was currently impossible to predict how the UK's European Union (EU) exit will impact the Bahamas, adding: "The only certainty is uncertainty".

Gov't 'dragging on everything'

The Tax Coalition’s co-chair yesterday said there ad been no contact with the Government since the Budget’s unveiling more than a month ago, complaining that the Christie administration was “dragging their feet on everything” vital to the private sector.

Bahamians urged: Show ‘more ‘outrage’ over financial crimes

BAHAMIANS were yesterday urged to show “more outrage” over financial crime and poor business practices, a prominent cleric arguing that these had become “entrenched in our culture”.

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Gov't 'good faith' key to Brewery's 100-job growth

Sands Beer’s manufacturer yesterday said its planned $15 million growth strategy, which could more than double its workforce via the creation of “over 100” jobs in the next five-10 years, depends on the Government maintaining the ‘tax advantage’ it holds over its BISX-listed rival.

SCOTIABANK: GROUP INSURANCE POLICY GROWS EVERY YEAR

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Scotiabank (Bahamas) says its group homeowners insurance programme is growing in size every year due to the "stress" in its $1.498 billion loan portfolio, as it pledged to resolve any concerns the industry regulat

SCOTIABANK: GROUP INSURANCE POLICY GROWS EVERY YEAR

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Scotiabank (Bahamas) says its group homeowners insurance programme is growing in size every year due to the "stress" in its $1.498 billion loan portfolio, as it pledged to resolve any concerns the industry regulat