More. It takes them six months to pay employees when they know exactly how much the employee is to receive. Multiply exponentially for VAT where they have to calculate how much to pay first.

They will lose their local market. People will stop buying jewelry and perfume locally. The jewelry and perfume shops will remain open downtown, and close in the malls and shopping centers.

They will buy abroad. The jewelry, you can wear. The perfume, claim your exemption.

People will stop buying everything...that's what they fail to realize. They're calculating revenue based on current spending patterns. But those will change drastically as people shuffle wants vs necessities.

Exemptions on duty for Bahamians may still continue to exist, but I do not hear of any Bahamian travel exemption from the 15% VAT !
Also, note the refund to visitors is contingent on the goods purchased leaving with them!
The potential is there to leave a very bad taste in the tourists mouth if the refund is not convenient, timely or clearly stated and not reduced via some % of BS.

I read somewhere that John Rolle said the the exemption would continue to exist for $300 total vat + duty.

The retailers may have to send couriers to deliver goods at the airport or at the cruise ships, like they do in the US airports.

But looking at the VAT exemption list, books are not there, neither prescription glasses, diabetic supplies .

i still think it absurd to vat food, and only offer partial refund on vat exmpt goods.

the food retailers should demand full vat refund in exchange for the maintenance of price controls. that might control price rises a little bit.

LOL I just remembered something from many years ago.

I visited Cuba when cubans could not carry US dollars. The tour bus took us to a mall and I was the last person to leave the bus. The tour guide gave me some US dollars and asked if I could use my passport to buy a pair of shoes. I said, sure. She then told me that the shoes were already chosen and asked me to go to a specific shop and ask for a salesperson by name. I told her I came to buy a pair of shoes, she had it below the counter, then i provided my passport. lol.

"The way it would work is that if a tourist makes a purchase, and they’re taking the goods outside the country, if you pay VAT on it they present their receipt and they get you a refund as you’re leaving the country."

Risky to make any VAT complications a last impression. Imagine the lines making people late. O and then deal with their frustration when they realize they can't get Bahamian dollars changed to US anyway..ha.

It's called tax exempt cards..wait , we're still using calculators. Straw vendors give receipts?

Just to continue your hilarious scenario - imagine tourists having to get to the airport 12 hours before their flights leave, so they can produce the VAT receipts, have them processed, get their B$ refund, go to the cashier desk to convert B$ to US$ (what about other, foreign currencies such as C$ GBP, Euro's) then go to the ticket counter to prepare themselves for the five security checks. Yeah, right - the golden goose will have flown long time

these govt people are stupid, they make this stuff up on the spot.
Actually you can get refund for florida sales tax if you leave the country, but it is a pain in the arse to fill out the forms and wait for refund, and clear a us check that takes 21 days.

All the china, linen and sweater shops closed downtown, all that remains is liquor and perfume. Amazon sells the perfume, sales tax free with no shipping on purchases over 35. The merchants have to compete with that.

China now is only sold to the local market, Kelly's being the main one. John s George and Maura closed, and now multidiscount never really got started. Why? tourist don'y buy china any more. Merchants will buy different stuff. Bone china is no longer from England or germany, now it is made in Thailand or sri lanka.

But , in addition, I think it is discriminatory to sell me stuff for more than a tourist pay. People who advocate gambling often talk about discrimination, but this discrimination too.