By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

The Department of Inland Revenue has confirmed that issues with Sandals property listing are resolved.

John Williams, communications lead at the Inland Revenue Department, told Tribune Business that the five Exuma properties owned by Sandals that were included on the Department of Inland Revenue’s (DIR’s) latest auction listing have been resolved.

He explained that the tax agency still had the previous owners listed in their system and no declarations were on file to prove the hotel chain owned the properties. Once Sandals presented the necessary declarations and documents, the information was updated in the system.

Sandals issued a statement noting that the properties were listed due to “inaccurate records” by DIR and the mistake will be rectified by the department.

“We are aware of recent media reports suggesting that private properties owned by Sandals in Exuma are slated for auction. We wish to state categorically that is an error stemming from inaccurate records at the Bahamas Department of Inland Revenue,” said Sandals.

“We have been assured that the mistake will be rectified and no bids for these properties will be accepted by the Department of Inland Revenue.”

The company said it remains “fully committed” to the country and will continue to “invest heavily” in the region.

“Sandals remains fully committed to The Bahamas. We continue to invest heavily in the region and look forward to building on our long-standing partnership.”

The Department of Inland Revenue began exercising its power of sale under section 25 (a) of the Real Property Tax last year in a bid to recover more than $700m in delinquent real property tax arrears. It is using the lien, or charge, it has over these properties to sell them via a public auction on June 24, 2025.

Among the properties listed for sale in the notice published on May 12, 2025, are five properties in Exuma all labelled as “Farmers Hill, Sandals Beach Units”. The values of the parcels range from $1.15m to $2.7m, collectively totalling nearly $9.3m.