Editorial   Our automobile affliction Last Monday, Prime Minister Perry Christie announced a reduction of duty on trucks to 65 percent and hinted at a possible revision of current motor vehicle duty rates.  Our automobile affliction stems not entirely from high duty rates, but more ...     Educating the people on VAT The government has set July 1, 2014 as the date for the biggest change to the Bahamian tax system in recent memory.  It plans to bring forward a value added tax (VAT), to create a central revenue service and to cut many customs duty rates. To i...     Stepping down from high office The world was surprised when the head of the Roman Catholic Church resigned. Popes don’t usually resign. Like monarchs they serve until death. The last pope to resign did so six centuries ago.Pope Benedict XVI is an old man. The 85-year-old said hi...     Energy savings for all Bahamians The cost of electricity in The Bahamas is a significant economic burden.  This government has promised to lower rates, but when and how? The Bahamas Hotel Association (BHA), tired of waiting for government action, has taken a step forward to co...     Moving on from the BTC issue The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) said in its manifesto that it would seek to return the majority stake in the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) to the Bahamian people.  The party, however, did not give a detailed and plausible plan to ...     Immigration reform Immigration reform is a highly contentious issue in The Bahamas that must be addressed.  Our current ad hoc approach leaves eligible citizens, foreign corporations, and refugees floundering in a broken system.  Broad ministerial support is ...     An interesting idea on electoral reform The Bahamas has a bicameral (two chamber) Parliament.  The House of Assembly’s members are elected and the members of the Senate are appointed. Maurice Tynes, the clerk of Parliament, yesterday appeared before the Constitutional Commission an...     Embracing new realities Prime Minister Perry Christie is scheduled to make a mid-year budget statement today in Parliament.  The government has said it intends to seek some cuts from its agencies and dependents going forward to slow the growth of the debt it owes. Thi...     Changing the Prime Minister’s Pension Act Hubert Ingraham is the only former prime minister alive in The Bahamas at this time. He was prime minister for 15 years. Ingraham therefore is the only one who qualifies for the prime minister’s pension. And it is a generous full-salary pension ...     Getting a handle on waste The Bahamas has a serious waste problem.  Not just a fiscal waste and revenue generation problem, but an actual physical solid waste problem.  For an island nation with limited land mass, our apathetic attitude towards waste management need...     «StartPrev12345678910NextEnd» Page 7 of 15