TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2016
business@tribunemedia.net
$3.95
$3.98
Baha Mar deal ‘can’t be tax free’ after Matthew By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net Baha Mar’s sale must not be “scott free” of the normal 10 per cent ‘transfer tax’, the Opposition’s deputy leader demanded yesterday, suggesting such revenues could “more than compensate” for Hurricane Matthew relief costs. K P Turnquest told Tribune Business he was “very concerned” that the Government had agreed to totally waive the mixture of Stamp Duty and ValueAdded Tax (VAT) that would normally be payable on the sale of Baha Mar’s assets to Perfect Luck Holdings. The latter entity is the
KP: Transfer tax would cover $600m storm relief Says sale to bank’s SPV must not be ‘scott free’ But 10% ‘transfer tax’ likely waived to finish project KP Turnquest special purpose vehicle (SPV) created by the China Export-Import Bank to purchase Baha Mar from its Deloitte & Touche receivers - the first step in the ‘strategy’ to complete Baha Mar’s construction and make the
North Andros’ Matthew losses may hit $20-$30m By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net The North Andros economy may have suffered $20-$30 million in losses as a result of Hurricane Matthew, the Chamber’s chief executive said yesterday. Edison Sumner told Tribune Business these figures were a “guesstimate” based on the field assessments and reports coming back from the island, which the Nassau-based Chamber is using as the basis to kickstart relief efforts. “Based on what I’ve seen, we’re looking at at least $20-$30 million in losses from the North Andros community,” Mr Sumner told Tribune Business. “In my mind, that could be what we’re facing, but we’re not sure what is insured, self-insured or damaged.” The Chamber chief said his main goal was to prevent business “casualties” from becoming “fatalities”, with “all hands on deck” to prevent such an outcome. He explained that the Chamber currently possessed lists of North Andros businesses that were impacted by Matthew, and what each one’s specific damages where. It is now beginning quantitative assessments to place a figure on the likely losses. Describing the stormrelated damage as “quite
Chamber says ‘guesstimate’ based on reports Business ‘casualties’ can’t become ‘fatalities’ ‘All hands on deck’ for business restoration effort
CEO of Chamber of Commerce Edison Sumner. severe”, Mr Sumner said businesses in Lowe Sound, Nicholl’s Town, Mastic Point, Conch Sound and Morgan’s Bluff had all “suffered damage”. The losses, he added, ranged from the “total loss of physical presence” to See pg b5
ColUmbUS Cove
love beaCh, WeSt bay St. Beachfront | 3 Br | 3 Baths | 2,200 sf Living space | 10-foot ceiLings | 8-foot interior doors | swimming pooL | gated compLex
US$699,000.
WEB: 26729 Richard.Sawyer@SIR.com 242.424.9792
SIRbahamas.com t 242 322 2305
Member of The Bahamas MLS
project ‘sale ready’. Mr Turnquest, though, said the Bahamas needed the potential tax revenues generated by the ‘SPV purchase’ more than ever, given the $600 million in damages that the Government
estimates were inflicted by Matthew. Urging the Christie administration to waive no more than 50 per cent of the ‘due transfer’ tax, Mr Turnquest said that to completely forego this revenue would be akin to “cutting your nose off to spite your face”, given Matthew’s impositions. He estimated that the ‘SPV sale’, together with Baha Mar’s eventual sale to its ‘ultimate purchaser’, could generate between $600-$700 million in transfer tax revenue combined more than enough to cover estimated restoration costs. Tribune Business’s calculations suggest that while the FNM deputy leader’s See pg b4
‘Absolutely no excuse’ for Contractors Bill delay post-Matthew By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net There is “absolutely no excuse” for further delaying the Contractors Bill’s passage into law, an exBahamian Contractors Association (BCA) president said yesterday, arguing that regulation was needed more than ever in Hurricane Matthew’s wake. Stephen Wrinkle told Tribune Business that a construction industry that was properly licensed, and accountable, was essential if Bahamian taxpayers were to receive ‘value for money’ in Matthew-related home repairs. Without the regulation promised by the Contractors Bill, which has already been brought to Parliament for its first reading,
Govt ‘obligation’: Make rebuilt homes meet Code Otherwise taxpayers will ‘pick up bill once again’ Ex-BCA chief fears ‘anyone’ able to do rebuilding Mr Wrinkle said “anyone” could obtain government contracts to fix/build homes. This, he added, created the possibility that many reconstructed homes, especially in the Family Islands and rural areas of Grand Bahama, would again not See pg b4
$4.02
$4.04
Bran: LOI claims will ‘turn away’ foreign investors By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net The Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) leader yesterday said the allegations made by the group at the centre of the Renward Wells Letter of Intent (LOI) controversy threaten “to turn foreign investors away from the Bahamas”. Branville McCartney told Tribune Business that the claims made by Stellar Energy, in its $727.364 million action against Mr Wells and other defendants, “raise questions as to how our government does business with foreign companies”. Stellar Energy’s legal filings allege that it was required to deal with persons holding themselves out as “agents” or representatives of the Christie administration, who promised they could facilitate all the necessary approvals for its pro-
Stellar claims ‘question how Govt does business’ DNA chief says similarities with his B’air firing Warned then he had to be ‘more PLP inclined’ posed $650 million waste-toenergy plant. After adopting their suggestions to appoint certain persons to posts with Stellar Energy, and enter into “partnerships” and “joint venture agreements” over the project, the group said it felt “forced” into these arrangements - including the now-notorious LOI. See pg b3
Matthew relief still aiming to ‘promote compliance culture’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net While Hurricane Matthew relief efforts will be “more flexible” than those for Joaquin, the Chamber’s chief executive yesterday warned that they would still seek to promote “a culture of compliance”. Edison Sumner told Tribune Business that while the Chamber, and its Rebuild Bahamas partnership with Rotary, might slightly “relax” their approach and terms for providing stormrelated assistance, they will not “turn a blind eye” to tax cheats and other forms of law-breaking. “We will probably relax a little our approach,” he said.
Will be ‘more flexible’ than effort for Joaquin But ‘no blind eye’ for law and rulebreaking businesses “We want to be more flexible and are prepared to assist where we can. “But it doesn’t mean we’re going to turn a blind eye to persons and companies operating in the formal economy. “We do want to get relief to persons as quickly as we possibly could, but we want to send a clear message that See pg b2