Mr. Chester Cooper, Chariman of the Bahamas Chamber, informs that the coalition of business associations that is being formed is not out "to kill VAT" and he does "not believe in ‘Soap Box Advocacy’".
Changing the tax structure is a major decision by government and Mr. Cooper should be encouraging dialogue – not trying to control it by suggesting he doesn't want the "Government to get it's back up" if they think the coalition opposes VAT.
If the member firms of the "coalition" allow the government and the chairman of the chamber to take this debate underground, that will be the death knell for any possible changes to the VAT regime as has occurred with other coalitions on various issues over the past couple decades.
Mr. Cooper is responsible to those he represents. The members of the Chamber and the proposed Coalition, and as such is required to represent their views in both private and public exchanges.
The Bahamas is supposedly a mature democracy and informed debate is what keeps the politician's feet to the fire. In addition, if the government cannot accept reasoned public debate about important issues at this stage of the country's development, what does that say about the nation after 40 years of independence? The taxpayer is being asked to foot the bill the country faces after decades of irresponsible public policies of borrowing and spending and VAT has caused an economic maelstrom throughout the region.
The taxpayers of The Bahamas deserve no less than a frank discussion and commitments from government that it will do its part to reduce spending and eliminate waste to get it's fiscal house in order.
Timidity bordering on cowardice is becoming the defacto position of too many business people, and particularly the organizations that purport to represent them.
perhaps caused by being too comfortable for too long?
Not wanting to rock the boat?
A trait of self preservation?
Coupled with voluntary ignorance of the big picture, and the necessity of the structures that provide for their existence and activities in relative safety and security.
It is the structures of business and society as a whole that have decayed and been torn asunder, by neophyte and individual ulterior motive alike.
Is there self protection in silence?
History would say no.
Tearing down the standards of human interaction that have taken centuries to evolve by any Government of the day, in any country, for any purpose serves no good for anyone or their productivity.
It is Dangerous.
Try playing soccer with moving goal posts, and new unknown penalties suddenly applied.
You will soon find you have no team.
If I may add,
This VAT implementation and these Tax regime changes are nothing more than a Government grab for a bigger percentage of private wealth, initiative and ability,
Encouraged and in fact demanded by these ex-territorial Bureaucracies.
This administration have most simply, been caught holding the bag.
They have spend themselves (and us)into a deeper and deeper hole, in the name of doing more for us.
(how altruistic, offering to spend my/your/our money for us)
and we have let them, and encouraged them in some cases. (Unions, special interests)
Could we have stopped them?
Perhaps, but most certainly they could have been slowed, and definitely held more accountable.
Seem we now have to account for all of our activities to them
I wonder when the lien laws cometh……
As a friend recently said:
IMF – “IT’S MANLEY’S FAULT !!!! He forgot to tell you how he told the people that there are 5 flights to Miami each day and that they could leave whenever they wished – leave they did and not only with money but also the “brain’ , middle-class and enterprising soul of the country to the point when in 1979 there was a popular bumper sticker “ Will the last person to leave , please turn off the lights“.
Are our leaders after the same outcome?
They are going to get the same result to a degree,
the only question is Foreigner only? Bahamian and foreigner?
How many? What % of wealth will flee?
Do not forget that the IMF pulled the devaluation trigger on Jamaica.
I was looking for a word for the previous post,
it hit me:
Appeasement.
Government is trying to appease the IMF et al,
Big Business is trying to appease Government.
The Government of the Bahamas has been displaying an ever increasing attitude of a bully.
Plain and simple bullying.
Which if left unchecked, will get worse.
It always does.
Maybe Mr. Cooper should take the first flight out and at least close the Chamber under these conditions. All he seems to be is an arm of the government with no concern for business at all. The socialist attitude is raising its ugly head again.
You are so right Oracle. History is replete with examples of appeasement and when their policy doesn’t work as they “planned (VAT in this case)the bullying will get worse.
Are Bahamians still too spoiled to protest it as they should? i.e. a petition, posters, bumper stickers, ads, public education etc?
Today more than half the population or people carrying Jamaica passports live outside of Jamaica.. Even more shocking is that well over 20 percent live in Brooklyn and Queens, New York.. Many would like to return home but Jamaican crime focuses on these successful people and they now elect to stay put.. So much for returning to the homeland.. I doubt if many will leave here, except the young and smart, but what we should really fear is that we are becoming just like Jamaica..
The Chamber of Commerce has become a Chamber of Fools.. How can such a once esteemed group fall to the depths of total incompetence?? How can any right-minded businessman or company support such complete and utter acts of stupidity?? It is time for patriotic citizens and like-mined businessmen to form a new association to represent the interests of business, labor and consumers in the best interests, the National Interest, of the country as a whole..
Public forums must be held where the application of VAT is openly discussed by both men and women of knowledge and experience, and not the over-paid, political propagandists that know only what has been scripted on their behalf.. This is how true democracy works in an open and free form of discussion; without the unnecessary and ignorant name-calling and disinformation that these puppet propagandists are trying to shove down our unwilling throats..
The Chamber, which will soon become the Chamber of Less Commerce, if and when VAT becomes the law of the land, has proven again to be nothing more than a shadow puppet of government.. Time for a more new and more dynamic organization that is not afraid of seeking and speaking truth for the betterment of all Bahamians who have a stake in our country’s future.. There is no room for the “OK Boss” mentality that still has an impact on the way we conduct business.. Time for true Bahamians to stand up and to be counted.. This VAT regime will only dig the grave of the Bahamian economy deeper and any possible recovery will be extremely painful for all participants, consumers, producers and distributors across the board..
If we don’t act now, we may not be able to act in the future.. Fellow Bahamians, the future is know.. No action is only tacit approval for failure.. VAT will have no meaningful impact on our staggering, out-of-control deficit until such a time that government moves to a “New Direction” to revive our economy and adopt the proven principles of prudence as the new standard for Bahamian economic policy..
Me thinks the Chamber is smelling like a collaborator.
Maybe they were instructed to soften the blow?
Chester Cooper, Kaalis Rolle, Michael Halkitis great buddies right?
All except Halkitis wet their feet in the Chamber. But didn’t Halkitis work for Cooper?
Hmmm.
Advocacy group advocating for whom….
Are we witnessing the script being written for another Atlas Shrugged type novel?
I think the script is writing itself!
Soon we will have a “fairness doctrine”
We already have the copper thieves…….
Sure looks like it Oracle.
If it wasn’t so serious we might laugh.
See the article:
http://www.thenassauguardian.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=42172&Itemid=2
Seems the Government consultants have inadvertently spilled the truth,
however check the last statement,
Increasing the social safety net etc etc.
So, reducing debt will have to compete with additional spending?
Idiots.
Wealth redistribution in practice.
I don’t think Hollywood could have written this one.
The only issue here is, “to be or not to be”.. Should Bahamian firms continue to BE a member of the Chamber of Commerce or should they not BE members of the Chamber that apparently does not represent the best issues of their membership.. Members should vote with their feet and revoke their waste of time memberships.. “That is the question”..
I am not now and would never be under this type of so called leadership. I would be willing to bet they have had a decline in membership as well.
At the end of the day, the Bahamian business community,
excluding foreign firms generally,
are arranged just like the country:
A bunch of small islands and rocks scattered around
languishing in stagnation or profits.
Easy enough to politically strangle individually.
The one thing these trade agreements and their tax change requirements should provide, is an end to political favoritism or advantage.
These are external rules being imposed, effectively opening up new mechanisms for protest, dispute and protection, for foreign investor and Bahamian alike, and equally.
I’m starting to believe that there is no one left in the government here that has the sense of a pea.
Why do you think they are called pea brains?? Small brains are the order of the day in government.. They cannot think, have no analytical skills and they take up almost NO space..
Yes, peas in a pod!
Generally speaking, If you don’t know how to build a house,
you don’t go interfering with the guy who does,
if you do,
nothing gets built.
Enough with the name calling. Although it’s fun.
I think we all agree the country’s fiscal problems are now beyond the point of no return.
I’m not sure how the government expects to just hold a gun to our heads and implement something like this without trying other alternatives first.
As hosts of people have indicated, why not collect the $500 million in back taxes rather than implement a new tax regime that just might end up with them collecting fewer tax dollars as a result of it slowing the economy even more?
You are right Rick,
however what real counterpoint is there to the Government agenda?
Sensibility should be sufficient,
but also seems to be in short supply.
Cause and effect is a rule not even government can counter,
and they sure seem unable to foresee even the most basic impending realities.
Sit back, let them decimate the wealth generators?
at what point does a market driver say 50/40/30/20/10 cents of each dollar generated by my efforts and assets is sufficient for my efforts?
Added to the Government harassment and lethargic processing of any required service.
There is no sense especially when they start off by making things “retroactive” like customs. I understand they have even changed the statue of limitations at customs to three years instead of two. Forget desperate, that almost seems illegal. I think that they do not think at all before they do anything. It all comes down to the same old thing,the people who pay now will be the ones that pay in the future and pay for the people who do not now pay and never will. That is very unfair & totally wrong. My oh my and we call ourselves a Christian nation.