Let’s just hope this is political hogwash and no new taxes will be saddled on the backs of Bahamians. Many who are currently drowning in debt cannot take it. The expected increase in government revenue may actually be a decline

> OFFICIAL Opposition Leader Philip Davis yesterday released projections for the upcoming 2018/2019 budget, predicting an increase in VAT, Customs duties and the introduction of new taxes.

Davis conveniently neglects to mention that Minnis and Turnquest will also be budgeting for a huge increase in the salaries and benefits of parliamentarians, if not in the upcoming 2018/19 budget then in the very next set of budget adjustments that follow. Minnis and his cabinet ministers have all too quickly become an 'all for us' bunch of politicians on par with the last Christie-led government.

If the FNM gives Parliamentarians a raise and hikes taxes they can DEFINITELY kiss a second term good-bye. Parliamentarians should show solidarity with the voters by taking salary and benefit CUTS, at least until such time as there is a marked improvement in the Bahamian economy for all those who are prepared to work for a living. Pensions for M.P.'s and P.M.'s should be entirely eliminated. Pensions for ANY civil servants should be on a contribution basis.

I agree on the need to eliminate pensions for the MPs and PM.

Hope Brave can read the National Budget documents when they are converted to accrual format ...... He is so used to hiding bills and not accounting for line items until 2 years later, that this format will sshock him next month.

Very clever to jump over to that stage.......but the next stage is to account for the money and where fraud, curruption, malfeasance, bribe taking, collusion, complicit, overpayments on fraudulent contracts, overpayments for works not done satisfactorily, persons victimized for speaking up against fraud, persons who arein authority knew but said nothing, the old boys network protecting wrongdoers squandering money, persons soliciting advantages for doing the job and redirecting wastages, continuance of systems purchased to do little to support cronies,.....victimizing minority investors....contracts favourite favouritism...directors sitting on boards knowing and doing nothing...and those claiming to not know ...and those not knowing and doing worse perpetuating and protecting other friends in the profession....and a whole lot more where persons in authority wasted the blood and sweat and tears pore sick...jobless.. Bahamian taxpayers struggle to pay and was weasted......BEFORE...ANY CONTINUING,..REPEAT .OF THE SAME.....patient need to be triaged first....we checking out the sickness....cauterizing stopping hemmoraging,,,stopping the poisons....

It has been over a year now with millions of taxpayers' dollars spent on forensic audits and other investigations of one kind or another, but not a single crooked politician or senior government official from the corrupt Christie-led government has been convicted and sentenced to prison. This fact alone speaks volumes about the very misguided political steps of Minnis and his rather foolish style of governing. Minnis has squandered valuable time and resources leaving most people to believe he has betrayed his solemn promise that it would be their time.

What a political waste. . .do you ever take time to look over what you be saying? Or you just don't gave one red penny what you say. . .as long as you say something? I thought the same thing when I say ya party deputy spoke in the papers today. . .I gave yinna a new name. . .Dumb. . .Nucklehead. . .Abnormal party. . .grow-up!!

Despite red shirts having proven be a major F#ckup at governing - still the problem is the 91,409 voting red 10th May 2017, are not flocking over to join Comrade "Brave".... and i see no signs of a early change voters thinking... seemingly they are preparing to become "party homeless"...... which presents many puzzling questions about what will be the mood voters over remaining 4-years mandate Imperial red shirts government?

The government has managed to put many plugs in the outflow of revenue due to corruption, mismanagement, nepotism, overbugeting or inflated costs but it must now focus on the revenue side and the ‘untouchables ‘. Those individuals and companies that pay little or no taxes. This may include persons who live in the Western end of New Providence and parts of the North Bahamas

Most of us have long ago figured out from all of your whining that your last dying breath will be accompanied by the words: "The wealthy white foreigners living in the gated communities out West are responsible for the very miserable life I have had." Suggest you start whining about something more much meaningful for the remainder of your time here on earth. Or you could spend your remaining precious time singing even more praise for and about the likes of Sebas Bastian and Craig Flowers!

This government better not add or raise any taxes on the Bahamian people until it can show that they have the balls to do something about the looting of the public purse by filth bags such as Davis. Otherwise, they will get voted out in the next elections, the criminals will get back in and this country can kiss it's ass goodbye.

I believe everything that comes out of Davis' mouth (at least the parts that he doesn't mumble incoherently - which is not much). I'M JOKING!!!! I don't believe anything he says. In fact... I don't even *listen* to anything he says.

Indeed ......... He is a poor (unfit) spokesman for the HM Opposition ..... He would do better to leave any Budget analysis to Cooper...... Brave has too much political baggage and lack of accountability since 2012 for anyone to believe him on anything to do with National Budgets ........ UR2.0 Slush Fund, BAMSI, MOPW, Bahamasair, BPL.

LMAO another Fake News

Let's wait for the actual budget presentation and declare that the man, Davis, was in the room while it was being prepared. If I wasn't sad & sickened I'd be LMAO.

Hahahahahaha. I needed a good laugh

What is it about Davies and Fred and all the other ex PLP MP's that they have the laughable gall to talk about extra taxes when they are totally responsible for the terrible financial state of the economy. What worries me is that the FNM will need to do some drastic pruning financially and whilst that is necessary it will open the gates to the uneducated who want instant gratification and will vote PLP in the next election. Like all maladies medical or financial you can only put off treatment for so long and failing that the IMF will dictate PLP or FNM.

Agreed

these the same increases they were trying to sell to us before they lost their arsses??

Every time I see Brave, or Fred Mitchell, or Bradley Roberts, I just wish we could go back to the day you could sling big rocks at people without getting locked up!!!!

Who just got socked with a conch shell?