The Coalition for Responsible Taxation (although I'm dubious that any taxation can be responsible) has launched a web site to get their message out as they examine the implications of the proposed Value Added Tax (VAT) and define their suggestions for alternatives.
I encourage you to poke around their site here…
There will be a lot more information to come I'm sure.
Here's a simple fact from the graphic on the left:
"If we don't find a better way to pay off our $5 billion debt, 15% VAT will be introduced and you'll pay more for goods and services, food, entertainment, shopping, Travel, electricity, phone cable, water. BEFORE VAT Living expenses $2,500p/mth. AFTER VAT Living expenses $2,875p/mth."
An educated taxpayer will make the political class more accountable for a better country.
Public opposition to VAT seems to be heading in many difference directions.. In order to be effective, the opponents to VAT must come together in a united front and move together in a singular direction.. VAT is by far the greatest danger our country has ever confronted and must be stopped in its very tracks before it will destroy our country..
All opponents to VAT recognize that VAT is a driver of increased poverty and unemployment.. Most agree that VAT will oppressively force about 8 to 11 percent of the population in the lower middle class into the ranks of poverty.. Even the government’s projects (who knows were they get their estimates) places the rate of poverty increase at about 11 percent.. That being the case, why would government promote a policy that would create such economic misery?? They take the foolish position that a social safety net will be instituted to protect the increasing numbers of poor.. Even more foolish, government hopes to use additional revenues resulting from VAT to fund this so-called poverty safety net.. This comes from a government that cannot even estimate with any certainty the amount of revenues to be raised by VAT.. Last week a government spokesmen said that any increased revenues from VAT would take from one to two years to become apparent.. Guess that means there will be one to two years of holes in the not so safe poverty safety net..
What an economic paradox and contradiction the government has put the people of the Bahamas into.. To support a fiscal policy that will place just over 10 percent of our people into the ranks of economic poverty and then to expect hoped for or anticipated revenues from this policy to bailout the poor is shear madness.. This leads one to question if there is anyone with common sense running and overseeing the Bahamian government..
No VAT tell the Government find a better way thats what we put them there for
Let’s start by regulating and taxing the web shops, collecting taxes owed especially those owed to BEC and other government/corporations by some very prominent persons, park the red license plates on Friday evenings send home the retired persons Government rehired at fabulous salaries when this Government came to power. The retirement age is 65 The PM is 70 another high paid consultant is 80(his salary alone can pay 4/5 young people returning home with degrees). Some high ranking officers were collecting pension and rehired; they are out of touch with technology and the criminal mind. This must be very demoralizing to young officers and a set back to their promotion. They want to curb crime, send these persons home and hire the young people
Is this “Bahamians First” PLP government working to destroy Bahama Land for Bahamians? Why can’t the PM sit in his office and work as if he is in possession of all of five(5) senses? He keeps running from one service, concert, any kind of gathering so long as the TV cameras will be there, talking foolishness/ unrealistic promises most of the time, nothing to help this nation’s economy. Is he autistic or bi-polar or both?
Please, NOT vat!
Not only is he talking foolishness,he absolutely IS destroying this country for Bahamians & it appears to me that he does NOT EVEN CARE !!! If he continues on this path of destruction he will be the worst prime minister(I can’t say leader because he is not)this country has ever had & the clean up from his mess(If possible) will take years.I feel sick from him & can’t even bare to hear him speak anymore.
Those trained in the legal profession leading to the practice of law are biased trained in their structured thinking as they only see one side of a legal issue under review.. Defense attorneys intensely focus their entire positions and posture on defending the absolute innocence of their clients whether guilty or innocent as charged.. Just the opposite position is true for prosecutors who focus only on conviction and not on the specific determination of innocence or guilt.. This is sort of the forest and the trees analogy where one “can’t see the forest for the trees”..
When lawyers enter in to the political arena, their biased-structured thinking follows them and becomes even rather apparent in their public life.. Unlike businessmen, who usually approach problems and issues from a broader and more comprehensive perspective, lawyer politicians usually view political and economic issues from a single solution focus absent of comprehensive understand.. This often results in the support of party policies and positions regardless of what is in the National Interest or best interest of the country.. Is this why the public elected them to political office in the first place??
What we must learn reluctantly to accept is that lawyers, by their very basis of legal training in case law review, act with a single focus and purpose and not with a comprehensive perspective.. How else can you explain the the total lack of comprehensive thinking by our lawyer politicians in their blind support and acceptance of VAT.. The mass majority of the Bahamian population are opposed to VAT and call for other more responsible solutions to our self-imposed deficit crisis.. Why can’t our elected officials see the forest and demand that government undertake a comprehensive review of possible economic solutions in order to find a workable remedy and solution the country’s growing economic mess?? Again it must be their biased training of one-sided thinking where they see only the trees and not other alternative and more acceptable solutions..
VAT’s implementation is a destructive policy that will be detrimental to the country’s fragile future.. A single biased focus by our politicians will not suffice and is unacceptable.. A more comprehensive solution must be formed to save our country from financial default and economic failure.. As one who once trained in the noble profession of law, I must confess that my position opposed to VAT is most biased and single focused..