The Big Story

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Minister of State for Finance Kwasi Thompson said yesterday that the government is expected to extend its unemployment assistance program to September. The unemployment program was set to end in June after a 15-month run. “It really was designed to be maybe a three or four-month measure, but unfortunately…the pandemic kept going. It is still continuing and...

“We have a position and a strategy that we believe are sustainable” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A top finance official said yesterday the country’s widening fiscal deficit is no reason for “alarm” as it is temporary and not structural, though he admitted it is cause for “caution and concern”. Acting Financial Secretary Marlon Johnson, while addressing a post-budget press conference yesterday,...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) said yesterday that while the 2021/2022 budget contains some items that could positively impact the business community, it is concerned that government spending to continue COVID-related support and other initiatives will inevitably lead to an increase in taxation. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis delivers the 2021/2022 budget communication...

“We ain’t see nothing in it for us as the Rastafarian community” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Local stakeholders demanding representation in the government’s move to regulate marijuana usage in the country are urging the government to amend its proposed legislation to be more inclusive. Last week, an early draft version of the government’s Medicinal Cannabis Bill, 2021, and the Dangerous Drugs...

“The policy of government is very clear on this” Johnson: Govt does not want to take that “extreme position” but does have the right to if necessary NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Commercial property owners who are delinquent with their real property tax payments were urged yesterday to work out an arrangement with the Department of Inland Revenue (DIR) to settle their...

Wallace-Whitfield: VAT increase on realty transactions “will hurt” but would be compensated for with improved ease of doing business NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Delays in various foreign direct investor approval processes are seriously impacting the ease of doing business in this nation and hurting investor confidence, the Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA) president warned yesterday. Christine Wallace-Whitfield told Eyewitness News the organization...

Deficit projected at $951.8 million  NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The projected deficit is foreshadowed to be $951.8 million in the 2021/2022 fiscal year, according to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, who revealed the government will seek approval to borrow nearly $1 billion to cover expenses left over in this fiscal period and cover the estimated deficit in the upcoming period, among...

Wells: Either way, “folks just need to get vaccinated” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The government could receive 100,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, according to Minister of Health Renward Wells. The government announced last week it was “urgently” seeking access to Pfizer, the only approved COVID-19 vaccine for use among children above the age of 12, due to an increasing...

“If this administration is voted out of office, another administration can come in and squash all of these decisions” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A local small business consultant yesterday reiterated calls for legislation for the introduction of a Small Business Act, telling Eyewitness News that while the government’s Small Business Tax Concession & Relief Programme is “encouraging”, the sector needs more...

PAHO: Societies could begin returning to normal in a year if the world can commit to high level of immunization “To reach this level is the main objective we have now” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has estimated global immunization must reach at least 70 to 80 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic can be considered to...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Constituencies Commissioner Chairman and Speaker of the House of Assembly Halson Moultrie said the commission hopes to complete its recommendations on the boundaries on Monday following a final meeting. In an interview at the speaker’s office in the Senate Building, Moultrie acknowledged challenged constituencies such as Golden Isles, which had over 7,134 registered voters and remains the...

Hutton: We had wanted three-year extension but we’re still very happy to have some clarity now NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Abaco Chamber of Commerce President Ken Hutton said yesterday that while the organization had been seeking a three-year extension of the Special Emergency Recovery Zone (SERZ) Order, the government’s decision to extend it to the end of December was certainly welcomed...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — If done right, the government’s efforts to collect value-added tax (VAT) on vacation home rentals and commissions could net up to $50 million-plus, according to an Out Island boutique resort operator. Edwin Mulford, owner of Cat Island's Pigeon Cay Beach Club, has long called for proper regulation and taxation of the sector and yesterday told Eyewitness News:...

Gibson: Special zones an “economic shot in the arm” for Long Island NASSAU, BAHAMAS — An Out Island MP said yesterday his constituents will no longer feel like “the forgotten stepsister of The Bahamas”, hailing the prime minister’s announcement of a special economic zone targeted at the southern islands of The Bahamas as “monumental”. Adrian Gibson, the Long Island MP,...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A man was found hanging from a ceiling in a home in Johnson Terrace shortly after 9pm on Tuesday, police said. Police said they were called to the residence and directed to the living room, where they found the body. Emergency Medical Services visited the scene and pronounced the man dead. His identity has not been confirmed....

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis today asserted that his administration’s efforts thus far have positioned the Bahamian economy to “not only recover but thrive” in a post-pandemic world, as he unveiled several revenue and policy measures to be undertaken this upcoming fiscal year under its “Accelerated Bahamas Recovery Plan”. While delivering the 2021/2022 budget communication in the...

“It’s absolutely critical that we get this under control” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The government has started issuing notices of demolition to residents of illegal shantytown structures “popping up” on New Providence, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Works Desmond Bannister yesterday. As he spoke to ongoing concerns of “shantytown houses” being built on private properties in the capital,...

“BPL will have to explain to the Bahamian people why we had those outages” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) will have to take some responsibility for the recent power outages, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Works Desmond Bannister yesterday. Thousands of residents on New Providence were plunged into darkness overnight on Friday after an...