This is exactly the reason BEC should be privatized!! There is no private establishment that would consistently continue to carry arrears for customers who are negligent in paying their bill. Cut them off!! It is not BEC's responsibility to keep companies afloat. We the taxpayer ,(particularly honest ones who pay their bills on time), end up paying in the end with higher costs because of poor management decisions.

BEC is not responsible for ignorant business places that do not pay their bills. If they have to send their employees home, SO BE IT. Let them feel the wrath of the local media and the residents of this country that looove to march up and down for every single thing. CUT. THEM. OFF. The poor man is paying his bill. People are eating tuna and grits to make sure they can pay their bills. Why can't a major hotel pay theirs? CUT THEM OFF!

Is it not acting under false pretenses to have passed on to your guests an electricity surcharge, if in fact you are not paying it to BEC?

What's the difference between those offending hotels and the small time thug who snatches a tourists purse or camera?

If it's true as some are claiming that as a nation we're heading to hell, then corporate Bahamaland is the ship's captain?

I hope Mr. Chairman is also ensuring his bills are in good standing!

wow........ where are we heading. If a resort wish to be like Atlantis , it should pay its bills on time like Atlantis. Why give insentive to these people who dont have the country at heart ! Pay up your bills

Potcake you need to name them so we can shame. Them

Name the hotels so guest will know that the p lace they stay is crooked and stealing from all of us. They don't deserve to be in business.

Comrades amongst some of Bahamland's business word, locals and foreigners, it's their "Corporate Social Responsibility" to shortchange the natives.

Time to privatize. Once in private hands a hotel will simply pay as no private elec co will let this go on. Instead all Bahmians are forced to pay with BEC not run on proper private business standards!

Pay up or turn them off the bottomline. How do the Governorment allow a major hotel to owe tens of millions in unpaid bills. ONLY IN THE BAHAMAS

OK lets do some math, They say some $156 million is owinng to BEC. Bahamians collectively, meaning you, me and the bey next door (politicians excluded? and they friends too ? Ok) owe BEC $26 million. Then this one hotel, who name we shall not call, Owes BEC $10 million dollars, which is almost half of what ALL the Bahamians (who are named) owe BEC. BUT now when we add the $26million (what all the Bahamians owe) and the $10 million (wat this Hotel, who shall remain nameless owe), thats only $36 million so WHO owe BEC the other $120 million that is owing to the corporation?

At least tell us wat color shirt and neck time they have on cause this seems like a white collar crime

Mr. Miller has zero credibility on this issue as we all know he hasn't paid any light bills on his home and business since PLP came back into power!

Instead of government (under the disguise of bec) paying (by buying the fuel oil for the power plant) the power bills of these hotels - so they can keep 100 or 200 people employed - to the tune of millions of dollars,

perhaps they should calculate whether it would be better to PAY THESE EMPLOYEES TO STAY HOME and give them ONE YEAR to find new jobs, and let the hotel/s shut down.

In other words, the employees can go home NOW, and will keep getting their weekly or monthly checks from the government (instead of the hotel), and the hotel can shut down (if they wish) and face the courts for their arrears.

That may end up costing less money over the next 12 months. It may not - but it ought to be considered by those who have the figures to tabulate.

What say what, this is rather startling what I am hearing with the collections of the BahamIan people's company B.E.C money

How could you allow an invested foreign company drill you with rubbish like losing Bahamian 100 jobs, that's black mail

That company/ Hotel assets should be freezed & they should be locked up in jail!

And,

What are we holding for about 3 months after a foreign investing company close for good in the Bahamas, as 'cash' against that company's arrears?

*Where are the economist do we have any here?

Listen man cut these lousy foreign investors who are drawing / veining our system for their gain

They are laughing at us you know, man wise UP!

Everytime crime out of control Mr Miller has his face splash across the newspapers with some outlandish claims. This is just a smoke screen to hide what is going on

One of the biggest problems in this country is we are quick to say the foreigner should pay. But not a word about the 90% Bahamians that just think they don't have to pay there bills why?

So let me get this straight....I've paid my bill on time every month and I only get a 2% discount, but those who pay when they can/feel like it get 10% off? I do declare Mr. Chairman you are encouraging financial delinquency. Those with no shame and bad credit will not mind paying late so they can get their 10%. Cut off those who owe. That is plain and simple. There is no consequence for these people. Bahamians live in a no consequence society and thus make their own rules, then become outraged when someone tells them otherwise. This may seem minor to some but the old adage says a lier is a thief and a thief is a murderer....and we wonder why we are in such a crime ridden state! I agree with everyone above, this is white collar crime. Lock up the hotels! The authorities arrested the man for stealing electricity.....same thing!