Must read for Bahamians concerned about their ecosystem.

https://www.politico.eu/article/the-pro…

Coca Cola is the World's largest corporate polluter. They are happy to produce PET bottles that last 600 years and leach poison in to the ground. Did I mention the plastic in the Ocean?
When will we make these companies deal with their garbage? You and I are not allowed to run a factory and dump sewage or chemicals in the landfills and Oceans; we have to clean up our own waste or go to jail.
Why doesn't this company, and other users of these plastics, have to collect, shred, and recycle their waste?
We don't want foreigners drilling for Oil in the Bahamas but we let them and locals dump petroleum by-products in the landfills and Oceans?!?!?!?
So I hope this Company thrives and grows but they need to understand the damage they are doing and that their social responsibility is to all Bahamians, not just their families and employees.
In the rest of the World, they have recycling programs funded by a deposit on PET bottles, ensuring that the users of these products, companies and individuals, pay to clean up their mess. It also would create hundreds of jobs in the Bahamas. WIN-Win for Bahamas and the environment; and a loss to greed and selfishness.

"there is an opportunity for us to prosper again"...... Prosper like when? What era was that in? I hope you are not referring to the trafficking days of the 80's, or the pineapple economy of many decades ago.
I think clarity is important in this debate. The economic benefits of Oil industry are evident in Norway, Canada, Britain, and other nations that have taxed and regulated the profits.
We can definitely agree that it has enormous downsides as you have correctly identified. But let's not erode the credibility of our position by suggesting that money won't help the citizens of the Bahamas achieve a better standard of education and living.
These "foreigners", as you term them, are happy to consume fossil fuels in their Countries to our collective detriment, while they tell YOU to be a happy fisherman and bring me another beer.

It's actually higher than. 209,000. Death statistics in the US this year show an increase in almost every category. So, you either believe that by coincidence, every other cause of death is up, or Covid deaths are under reported.
I am guessing you didn't study statistics so I won't bore you with the improbability of the former.

"renowned medical doctor"? Does he/she have a name? Is it Ronny his old Dr who said he was a sexy thing that might live to 140 if he could lay off the Mickey D's and get some exercise?
He is a 74 year old, obese, borderline diabetic, who was rushed to the Hospital a year ago with a mild stroke.
This is only a picture of health by Bahamian standards.
His odds of survival more like 80%. He is showing symptoms already so that's not a good sign.
All the same, I hope he lives a long life so he can go to prison with his kids for money laundering, wire fraud, bank fraud, and insurance fraud.

Your parents used top say STFU to their kids? Nice.
BTW if you are black or hispanic like me; Trump would like to see your demise. So maybe "him before me" would be the correct wording.

I will study it. The last time I considered opening in Nassau, there were many reports and paperwork to file, waiting periods, foreign ownership restrictions, many consultants to hire. It all seemed onerous.
It's the pandemic that had cleared the final hurdles for me because my clients are willing to accept remitting payments and maybe even visitingThe Bahamas in a business trip.
Thank you for the advice.

Yes I am keenly aware of the issues with the Island infrastructure and all it's shortcomings. I would not install a mission critical server system or data storage facility.
Last business I sold cost me 7 figures in tax; erasing any cost advantage I may have enjoyed in one fell swoop.
Although the tax advantages have always been there, the digital economy has advanced markedly and what used to be in the realm of bankers, is readily available to all. trueBahamian, I have been on Zoom, Teams, and facetime with my clients since January and it seems they are ok with that. This is the big macro change and the time is now for people like me to act.
The Bahamas needs to communicate this to all because it's competitors have been doing this all along. If you study the "Irish Miracle", it was really just a massive tax reduction by an EU economy that attracted Apple, among others. GE has a taxation dept with 900 people in it looking for domiciles to reduce overall taxes. What I am telling you is that in a market for low tax domiciles and The Bahamas can be more a winner in this arena.
If data is the new currency, then tech companies are the new bankers. And we don't argue about the benefit of the international banking system for The Bahamas. Do not underestimate the changes this pandemic has brought to the global economy; they are profound.
No one is starting a business; I am moving my existing business. To be clear, I am going to sell and market my product from a Bahamian base with my development team remaining where they are. My clients are all large multinationals with billion dollar brands and they were playing this game before it was cool.
The Bahamas is a small economy so big picture and macro level are really in the eye of the beholder. In my lifetime I saw Atlantis change the trajectory of the economy as will Bahamar (hopefully).
The government is trying something and should be commended as all I usually hear is that they do nothing.

I am eagerly awaiting this program and will be among the first to apply. As a former Bahamian resident, the opportunity to move my software company to a more tax beneficial environment as beautiful as The Bahamas, is very attractive. Barbados is too isolated, lacks the constant airlift to the US, and is in the process of shedding it's ties to the British Commonwealth; which most investors see as a stable legal environment.
Unlike Americans, Canadians and Brits pay no taxes on income earned abroad and I encourage the Committee to include them in their target marketing. These people are not looking to pay no taxes; just less taxes. A 5% capital gains tax and 2% on overall income would be nothing to people like me, accustomed to paying 50%+ effective tax rates.
So with respect to Mr. Pinder, I encourage him to do a complete analysis and remember not to make perfection the enemy of positive action.
For what it's worth, I will spend multiples of the 30k per year being bantered about in these articles. I would like to tell you that I will immediately employ Bahamian programmers, but this may require training and development on my part and this will take me time.
What I can tell you is this; I will give more than I take and if you meet us in the middle, tech entrepreneurs can be part of the solution.

Why not mention the name of the Company? What is newsworthy about this if not the fact that they lack systems and security to protect their clients and therefore the public is at risk? Is it in the public interest to protect a poor organization?
Where do you draw the line? Corruption? Theft? Physical assault? What information should be kept from the public by a "news organization" and who should make that decision?