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TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017
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‘Dock tax’ crackdown on gated communities By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
The Port Department yesterday confirmed it is cracking down on fees owed by private/residential dock owners in New Providence’s gated communities, and issuing warnings of site visits to inspect “unregistered” facilities. Captain Cyril Roker, the Department’s controller, told Tribune Business that it had been given the goahead from the Attorney General’s Office to initiate the tax crackdown. The move has prompted residents of Sandyport, the private residential com-
Port Dept warns on ‘unregistered’ facility visits Sandyport residents seek legal advice AG gives legal advice to proceed munity at Cable Beach, to seek their own legal advice over the Port Department’s decision to enforce the fee/ taxarion measures in its own Act. A signed letter from Captain Roker, which has
D’Aguilar: ‘Where has the $3bn gone?’ By NEI L HAR T NELL Tribune Bu siness Ed i tor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net The Government has little to show for $3 billion of borrowing and increased tax revenues, an FNM candidate charged yesterday, describing as “egregious” its persistent failure to hit fiscal targets. Dionisio D’Aguilar, the FNM’s Freetown representative, told Tribune Business that Bahamians “can’t see where the money’s gone”, as he accused the Christie administration of being “always wrong” in its annual Budget deficit projections. He argued that Prime Minister Perry Christie’s presentation on VAT to Parliament last week had given precious little detail on how the Government’s ‘revenue windfall’ had been used, despite suggestions it had reduced total deficit spending by $500 million over the past three years. “The bottom line is that they’ve spent the money,” Mr D’Aguilar argued. “They know where they’ve spent the money, but they want to keep it as vague and elusive as possible. “You can always come up with 1,000 reasons to spend money, and they [the Government] clearly have, but as Bahamians look around they can’t see where it’s gone.” Tribune Business’s own research previously revealed that despite VAT’s introduction on January 1, 2015, the Christie adminis-
Says Govt has little to show for borrowing, VAT Constant fiscal forecast misses are ‘egregious’ Govt adding $2bn to debt; predecessor at $1.5bn
Dionisio D’Aguilar, FNM candidate for Freetown. tration will have increased the national debt by more than $2 billion during its current term in office. It criticised the previous Ingraham government for adding more than $1.5 billion to the national debt during its 2007-2012 term in office, but official Budget data shows that the $310 million deficit incurred in 2015-2016, and the $350 See pg b4
been issued to dock owners, states: “Please be advised that in accordance with the Port Authority Act, Chapter 259 section 40A, the Port Controller is sanctioned and obligated to collect an annual tax from any/ all owners of private piers, wharfs or abutments on the island of New Providence. “Therefore, the Port Department is requesting a site visit at your earliest convenience to conduct a survey of all unregistered docks and abutments.” Speaking with Tribune Business on condition of anonymity, one Sandyport resident said: “Everyone in Sandyport received a letter from the Port Department
about a site visit and registration of private docks. “They want to charge people with docks or access to the canal a fee, which for private homes would be $2 per linear foot. I don’t know if that’s per month or what. We are taking legal advice on this. We don’t know if it’s just Sandyport or what. Obviously this is a concern because property values get affected if we’re the only ones affected by this. We don’t know if this is retroactive or not.” Captain Roker yesterday confirmed that the Port Department has been issuing letters to private dock owners across New Providence, See pg b4
Next Govt urged: Break ‘constant borrowing mindset’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net The Chamber of Commerce’s chairman yesterday urged the next Government to “break the mindset of constant borrowing” and enable the Bahamas to finally get a grip on its recurring fiscal deficits. Gowon Bowe told Tribune Business that whoever won the upcoming general election would “have to make the hard decisions” and live within its means to bring the $7 billion-plus national debt under control. And he also warned that Bahamians would have to moderate their demands for expanded government, and ever-increasing public services, to ease the pressure on the Public Treasury. Speaking after Tribune Business last week revealed that the Government had increased its full-year 2016-
Chamber chief: Must ‘make the hard decisions’ Warns Bahamians: Moderate public service demands Calls for election ‘discipline’ to hit $350m target 2017 spending estimates by a total $285 million in the mid-year Budget, Mr Bowe said the rise was one issue that MP’s “can certainly take to task”. “They certainly can be critical of the spending of the Government, but what we should be looking for is how those opposing them will be better and different,” See pg b4
Cates Farm and Petting Zoo experienced significant loss and damage as a result of Hurricane Matthew.
Farming chair: ‘I feel like throwing in towel’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net The chairman of the newly-formed Farmers United Association (FUA) yesterday said he “feels like throwing in the towel” on agriculture, accusing the Government of neglecting the sector by focusing solely on BAMSI. Dennis Cates, proprietor See pg b4
Association chief: Govt ‘don’t give two hoots’ Says BAMSI focus leaves front-line farmers neglected Likens situation to ‘hamster on a treadmill’
Labour reforms get ‘far greater balance’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net The private sector was able to achieve “far greater balance” on the labour law reforms passed by the Senate yesterday, the Chamber’s chairman saying “all parties” had accepted its cost-related concerns. Gowon Bowe told Tribune Business that the private sector’s week-long lobbying efforts, led by the Chamber and hotel industry, ultimately created “appreciation” among the Government and trade unions
Private sector’s cost concerns ‘accepted by all’ Union chief: ‘Some improvement for workers’ that great care needed to be taken on the cost of doing business. Speaking after major changes were made to the Bills amending the Employment Act and Industrial Relations Acts, Mr Bowe See pg b5