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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.
$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
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.
FNM deputy fears ‘bubble pop’ over infrastructure spend
The Government’s lack of investment in infrastructure will be “a bubble that pops” on the next administration, the Opposition’s finance spokesman warned yesterday, adding that this was contrary to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) advice.
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
'GET YOUR POUND OF FLESH IN THE CORRECT ABATTOIR'
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A leading QC told homeowners embroiled in an ongoing battle with the developers of their $52 million project to "seek their pound of flesh in the appropriate abattoir", rather than trouble Prime Minister Hubert In
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.
Atlantis’s 4.5% Xmas rate rise beats hotel norm
Atlantis has seen a “quite substantial” 4.5 per cent year-over-year increase in average daily room rates (ADRs) for the upcoming peak Christmas/New Year season, a growth rate exceeding industry norms.
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.
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 plans to narrow VAT payment window
The Government yesterday unveiled plans to shrink the Value-Added Tax (VAT) payment window by seven days, and other revenue enforcement measures, amid the numerous tariff rate cuts consistent with a pre-election Budget.
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.
VAT guidance notes undermine core financial sector policy
The Government’s “inconsistent” Value-Added Tax (VAT) positions are threatening to undermine core financial services policy objectives, a top QC warned yesterday, threatening a loss of competitiveness and high-value business.
BPL pledges: You’ll have ‘soft landing’ on extra charge
BAHAMAS Power & Light’s (BPL) chairman yesterday pledged to make “the landing as soft as possible” for Bahamian consumers when it adds a debt servicing charge to their bills.
VAT readiness: PM warned that 'Clock ticking'
Prime Minister Perry Christie has been warned that “the clock is ticking” on the private sector’s Value-Added Tax (VAT) readiness, a Tax Coalition co-chair yesterday calling for the revised legislation and regulations to be published “as soon as possible”.
ICON-ic product puts Fund administrators 'more on the hook'
While Bahamian fund administrators will be “much more on the hook” than with similar structures, a senior industry executive says the “rewards” from an ICON-ic launch will be worth the risk.
'Little chance' to lower high debt, bad loan levels
The Central Bank of the Bahamas has admitted the current economic climate provides "little opportunity" to reduce high consumer debt and loan delinquency levels, with only 'qualified borrowers' able to access credit.
SUPPLIER CONCERNS ON BTC 'INCONSISTENCIES' SOLUTION
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Bahamian businesses yesterday expressed concern that the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) was extending the period for paying them to 60 days, as the newly-privatised carrier moves to tackle "inconsistenci
