EDITORIAL: Turnquest’s turn to question Budget

FIRST a former Health Minister, now a former Finance Minister has taken issue with the government’s plans in the Budget debate.

After Dr Duane Sands urged a realistic view of the nation’s finances if we’re going to face up to the debts we have to pay, Peter Turnquest – previously Deputy Prime Minister alongside his finance portfolio – took centre stage yesterday.

And just as with Dr Sands, he urged an approach that dealt with our situation – and wasn’t guided by “political expediency”.

It is good that such senior voices are being added to the debate – it’s just a shame that they speak so clearly as one and possibly both are leaving office.

Mr Turnquest raised a number of concerns – over new compliance measures, over tenants being left “on the hook” for the property tax debts of landlords, and more.

He also urged the creation of a service like the US Internal Revenue – which would collect taxes without fear or favour of which party someone might have connections with. After all, if we are used to seeing senior figures dodge paying what they owed, what does that do to our sense of civic duty to pay our own?

“We have to build that into our culture,” said Mr Turnquest. “It goes against political expediency and wanting to help people, but revenue management and collection has to be uppermost. It has to be all of this. The only way to get fairness and equity and collect what the state is owed.”

He’s right, of course. Some might say he could have done more about this when he was the minister, but he’s still right.

He also quite rightly raised concerns about Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ housing programme for western New Providence, calling it “inherently discriminatory” and open to a court challenge – and goodness knows this government seems to win few of those. He asks why one person buying one of those lots would have to pay full price and full customs duty for construction while their neighbour was fully exempted. There certainly seems an imbalance.

He also asked about the continued burden of state-owned enterprises swallowing up money.

We welcome such voices as Mr Turnquest’s being added to the Budget debate, especially in examining the areas in which we need to do better. It comes at a strange time, with the prospect of an election soon and political futures of a number of Parliamentarians in doubt. This is the kind of examination that a Budget should get every time. We gain nothing by pretending everything is perfect, when plainly it is not. We have big hurdles ahead of us – and suggestions of ways to improve revenue collection or to patch holes in our Budget should be welcomed. That is how we move forward.

Promises, promises

When the FNM campaigned for office in 2017, there was much talk of fiscal discipline. Goals included having entrepreneurs drive the economy, and creating an “efficient public sector” that was “essential to achieving optimal economic growth”.

One item promised to “progress public sector reform to create an efficient public service committed to improving the ease of doing business with the government”.

On coming into office, there was indeed a drive to reduce budgets for different departments and yet… now we have more workers in government than before.

The party has ended up swelling the numbers by 2,400 – with another 1,600 promoted since the FNM taking office.

There was much made of police promotions taking place just before the election last time, but with another election around the corner, those are the kind of numbers that make you wonder – especially with a promise to hire more young professionals too.

Were all these extra staff really what the FNM was promising? It certainly doesn’t seem to match up to their pledges.

Comments

AGITATE says...

A political plan by The Prime Minister the Most Hon. Dr Hubert Minnis, that can exclude many young qualified Bahamians from having a piece of the Bahamian pie. This land belongs to the people of the Bahamas, people who pay their taxes and it does not belong to the PLP or the FNM. I am very sad that an opportunity of a lifetime may again slip through the fingers of young Bahamians, many of the mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, family and friends sacrificed their money to educate these children hoping that when they return home they will be able to work and receive a decent salary. Many times there was no work and our young people had sought jobs in other countries to pay off their education loans. These young people love their country and is longing to come back home, the Prime Minister said that only persons who are resident and working in the Bahamas must apply. This is a stab in the back. All my life i have seen foreigners buy land and build all over the Bahamas who never set foot in the Bahamas, and now you exclude your own Bahamian sons and daughters. (Unbelievable)

Posted 11 June 2021, 11:08 p.m. Suggest removal

birdiestrachan says...

Masterful Liars indeed.

They lied about the spy bill and VAT just to mention two. There are no ends to their lies

It is my hope that when they come again lying as they come they will not be believed

As far as corruption goes they are the leaders in corruption. so many of them have been
and are now before the courts.

Posted 12 June 2021, 11:09 a.m. Suggest removal

truetruebahamian says...

birdie - once again - you are a shallow ass.

Posted 14 June 2021, 5:15 p.m. Suggest removal

BONEFISH says...

The former DPM and minister of finance is at best disingenuous and at worst a liar.

The revenue enhancement unit was the closest thing to an iIRS unit in the Bahamas. Under financial secretary Wilson, it was effective. It collected ninety million dollars in additional revenue in a six month period after hurricane Matthew. Mr.Turnquest was thoroughly briefed on its operations and other projects being run by the Ministry of Finance .That unit was disbanded by him and Marlon Johnson. The various programs were cancelled. I was told by some one in the know that these programs are needed and will be restarted. They were all restarted.

Like some one said to me, these people don't understand fiscal and government policies. A senior journalist who is well-read, said in his opinion, their fiscal policies are not doing to work.

Posted 12 June 2021, 11:40 a.m. Suggest removal

truetruebahamian says...

You have no idea, and neither do they.

Posted 14 June 2021, 5:20 p.m. Suggest removal

FrustratedBusinessman says...

It always amazes me how these people all of a sudden know how to have hard mouth the minute that their political career starts fading into the sunset. Where was all of this criticism when they were in the Cabinet?

Voting is a complete waste of time.

Posted 14 June 2021, 6:05 p.m. Suggest removal

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