I guess we now know where our hard earned VAT money is going (down the Carnival drain).

I guess we all know where are hard earned VAT money is going now (down the drain).

Sandals has recently been charged with bribery in Turks & Caicos. I wouldn't be the least surprised if they did the same thing here and that's why they're being protected by the PLP. Something stinks about this Noli, and I think Turks & Caicos holds the answer:
http://www.fcpablog.com/blog/2013/1/30/…

Also, double tax treaties are a good area of specialization for a law practice. It would actually open the door for Bahamian lawyers to make more money, so I don't believe it would be resisted. Adding legislative complexity to a government system can only mean more demand for legal expertise.

We need a party in power that is ready to do the heavy lifting to restructure the Bahamas from the bottom up, moving it from a failed state to a logical, well oiled company. The fundamentals of the Bahamas are bad and this is what must be corrected: 1. A direct power line from Florida to Nassau. 2. A land registry and term limits. 3. Accountability and prosecution for theft in the public sector. 4. Death penalty and much, much more active street policing. 5. Stop international borrowing period. 6. Complete trasparency and auditing of the expenditure of public funds. 7. Renewable energy focussed. 8. Not in it to win it but to serve.

I agree. No more PLP or FNM for me. I'm tired of being hoodwinked by these money hungry carpet baggers that launder the nation's funds into their and their friends' pockets. Another key trait is transparency. This is key. Everything must now be in the open, so tired of private deals that benefit the cronies. Another is crime. The party in power must treat crime like the national emergency it is, not some racist plot to imprison the grass roots.

I agree. The Bahamas should sue the Economist for defamation, if a nation can do such a thing at law. We did, after all, make a valid choice which was offered to us. Bilateral exchange was put on the table; who are they to now judge us harshly for accepting it. The whole thing reeks of bullying smaller nations. Meanwhile, the US continues to increase its share of offshore banking business. We must be as Sparta and, come hell or high water, stand strong.

While Banker and others have made some valid points about adhering to OECD demands for multilateral automatic tax information exchange, I am hesitant. My reason for hesitancy is that I strongly believe the final intention of the OECD is to completely close the Bahamas financial service sector down. The OECD wants nothing more than to terminate us permanently from any offshore banking activity period. With this in mind, knowing the grand intention of our foe, how can we comply with our own extinction. We are not suicididal, are we? We must find our Panama Canal, our position of leverage, and move forward from there. Are we ready to return to an abandoned fishing village or are we willing to fight for global relevence and affluence. We may lose regardless, but we should fight to the very end.

What is the solution? I'm trembling in my boots just driving to work or stopping at an ATM. Should we wear bullet proof vests? It seems the writing is on the wall to exit the country before being shot dead. Just like wise Jews moved out of Natzi Germany, when they saw Hitler rising to power, and smart Cubans left Cuba before Castro's dictatorship. Living here is preparing to die at any moment. I'm writing my Will tonight. Bahamian residence is now a death sentence.

We do not wish for a downgrade, but we do wish for the accountability of our government officials, which have used their African race as a shield from acting like law abiding citizens. I am so tired of hearing the Bahamas is a black country, so it's our time to do whatever we please. The Bahamas that you believe in has been desecrated and soiled by your thieving and money laundering. Millions of borrowed funds have been laundered through worthless projects, such as BAMSI, into the pockets of politicians and their cronies. If the downgrade and subsequent IMF taking over the economics of the country will stop the blood letting, patriotic Bahamians support this move. The imposters and traitors that have laid to waste this once great country will finally be shown for what they truly are: worthless crooks.