NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The President of the Bahamian Contractors Association has strongly condemned the Revenue Enhancement Task Force, labeling its actions as bullying, disrespectful, and unlawful, stating, “This can only be robbery.”
Leonard Sands, speaking to Eyewitness News, expressed support for CBS Bahamas Ltd, a longstanding member of the BCA, after its vice-president and general manager Brent Burrows II voiced concerns over a visit by the Revenue Enhancement Task Force to the company’s Southwest Plaza location on Monday. Burrows said that the arrival of a group of 10 agents from several government agencies was unannounced and disruptive. He also described it as “deeply alarming” for customers and staff.
Sands stated, “CBS has been a longstanding member of the BCA. We stand with them. They are one of our very dedicated members who believe in Bahamian businesses. We are incredibly alarmed by what we saw. That could only be described as a show of unnecessary force and ignorance on the part of the inspectorate or agency to show up to a business place where there are customers armed with guns.”
The head of the Revenue Enhancement Task Force, Commander Bertram Bowleg, in an interview with Eyewitness News, dismissed suggestions of intimidation, noting that the armed officers were there for the protection of the tax collection agents who are now going door-to-door collecting tax revenue, an exercise which has also been undertaken in the Family Islands.
However, Sands said he believes that the Task Force’s actions are unlawful. “This revenue enhancement unit, I would argue, is acting ultra vires to the law. They have no jurisdiction to demand or request documents in such instances. This is unreasonable and absurd. I urge the Minister of Finance to recall this unit and wait for law-abiding business people to provide the information as they normally do quarterly. This approach will not improve matters. If they wish to be draconian, we can insist they collect VAT money in coins and count it on-site.”
Sands continued, “This will not be tolerated. Why not use that level of force at Baha Mar or Atlantis? Why do they receive preferential treatment? It is deliberately disrespectful, unnecessary, and frankly, ridiculous. We urge them to cease because this can only harm the economy. Let’s have a bit more decency. It amounts to robbery. I would advise my members that if they encounter such behavior, to call the Royal Bahamas Police Force and report a robbery. I am very serious. This is robbery. We file VAT taxes online and make payments through our attorneys and accounting officers; we do not hand over cash to any tax collection agency on-site. That is not a practice followed by businesses in this country.”
He added, “They cannot demand cash on-site. They should be informed that we do not handle cash in this environment; payments will be made via wire transfer or other established means. We have thousands of contractors out there, and I can assure you not one of my members will succumb to this bullying. If we owe money, we will meet them at the VAT department.”
