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Public spending to rise 'less than 0.1% of GDP' via wage freeze end

Public spending to rise 'less than 0.1% of GDP' via wage freeze end By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Lifting the civil service wage freeze will increase public spending by a sum equivalent to "less than 0.1 per cent of GDP", the Government beli

Revived Mortgage Plan may assist ‘over 1,000’

The Government yesterday unveiled a revised Mortgage Relief Plan it believes could assist “upwards of 1,000 delinquent borrowers”, via a 20-25 per cent cut to monthly loan payments.

Kosoy, Sterling eye Hurricane Hole deal

David Kosoy’s Sterling Global Financial is in negotiations to acquire Paradise Island’s Hurricane Hole property from Atlantis’s owner, Tribune Business can reveal.

OIL EXPLORER UNVEILS 'BAHAMIANISE' PLAN

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A Bahamas-based oil exploration company's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is expected to be released for public consultation on January 23 next year, the company also unveiling plans to "Bahamianise" through

BAHA MAR'S OCCUPANCIES 3-4% ABOVE FORECAST LEVEL

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor While occupancies at Baha Mar's two existing Cable Beach resorts are trending 3-4 per cent ahead of 2012 forecasts, the resort developer yesterday said they had yet to reach "levels considered acceptable", followi

Tax crackdown: Govt hits 6,000 businesses, 5,000 property owners

The Government last night unveiled its promised crackdown on tax defaulters, promising to first pursue the largest, wealthiest delinquents - some 6,000 businesses and 5,000 high-end property owners.

'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

'Early summer' start on $100m B Mar power plant

'Early summer' start on $100m B Mar power plant By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Some 75 persons will be employed at peak construction on Baha Mar's $100 million Seawater District Cooling (SDC) plant, Tribune Business was told yesterday, with bu

'Early summer' start on $100m B Mar power plant

'Early summer' start on $100m B Mar power plant By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Some 75 persons will be employed at peak construction on Baha Mar's $100 million Seawater District Cooling (SDC) plant, Tribune Business was told yesterday, with bu

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”.

INSURANCE BROKERS: OVER 25% TO 'FALL OFF'

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor More than 25 per cent of all existing Bahamian insurance brokers and agents are unlikely to be licensed under the new Act governing the sector, the Insurance Commission told Tribune Business yesterday. Arvind Bagh

Public spending to rise 'less than 0.1% of GDP' via wage freeze end

Public spending to rise 'less than 0.1% of GDP' via wage freeze end Sub-Deck: * Gov't acknowledges major difference with IMF over 'timing and will for major tax reform' * Debt Management Committee set up to oversee Bahamas' fiscal position By NEIL HA

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Credit union member growth expands 29%

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Bahamian credit unions have outpaced commercial banks through an average total asset growth rate of 9.25 per cent over the past five years, the Central Bank's governor said yesterday, their collective membership h

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'Almost $900m' raised on LPIA redevelopment

THE Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) yesterday told Tribune Business it had now raised "almost $900 million" via six separate financial transactions, having just closed the final $225 million round to fund Lynden Pindling International Airport's (LPIA) $409.5 million redevelopment.

THE 'BAHAMIAN DREAM' HAS SOURED FOR SO MANY

Anyone who reads the local newspapers cannot help but notice the large number of distressed Bahamian homes advertised for sale by banks under their mortgage powers. Never before in the history of the Bahamas have so many families suffered the humiliation,

SMALL BUSINESS BILL DISCUSSION TARGET BEFORE 2012 ELECTION

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A government minister says he is "reasonably certain" that broad consultation with stakeholders on the much-awaited Small and Medium-Sized Business (SME) Development Bill can be held prior to the general election,

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.

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Gov't pushes deficit elimination forecast back three years

The Government has pushed back its original projections for eliminating the fiscal deficit by three full years, and is now pinning its hopes on a $449 million, four-year 'swing' into surplus.

Development Bank fund ‘sinking’: Covers 1/3 of $46m bonds

* Just 28.4% of loans ‘performing’ * Accumulated losses over $60m * Solvency deficiency at $31.31m

THE Bahamas Development Bank’s (BDB) ‘sinking fund’ covered just one-third of its $46 million outstanding bond debt at year-end 2016, with only 28.4 per cent of its loans ‘performing’. The BDB’s 2016 financial statements, tabled in the House of Assembly in Wednesday by the Prime Minister, reveal the parlous state of another state-owned enterprise (SOE) that has racked up more than $60 million in losses for the Bahamian taxpayer during its 43-year existence.

ROAD PROJECT WAGES 50% BELOW 'NORMS'

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Wages paid to skilled Bahamian tradesmen by the main New Providence Road Improvement Project contractor were around 50 per cent below market norms, the Bahamian Contractors Association's (BCA) president said yeste