So it's impossible to make the civil servants contribute but easy to just increase taxes on all to cover this. Great we continue to be led by idiots, Hopefully the bottom is coming soon so we can then fix it correctly (when we have to go to IMF they will dictate what happens and one will be for civil servants to contribute).

Fix BPL, don't do this band aid stuff which doesn't help most people. Fix it, which should have been done by all your predecessors. If we could reduce our BPL bills by 50% imagine the economic activity this would lead to on productive items. But i expect nothing will happen in the short term as everyone working out how to get their piece of the pie. If you were really serious you would make it legal for all to go off grid and for BPL to buy off these people any excess they have.

Sounds good, also if all Civil service can take a large pay cut and MPs work for free (well continue to pretend to work), we can make a massive reduction on the deficit and maybe even a surplus.

Bahamians are succeeding. However over in other countries as the opportunities are not here in the Bahamas. Not due to foreigners being here, but due to Government incompetence in growing industries and the fact that many young Bahamians do not want to live here once they have experienced Canada, UK and the US, and therefore take their skills there.

Of course $1,000 isn't going to be enough. They know this but they also know once its started we will all have no choice but to accept the increase.

They took VAT off property sales and went back to stamp of 10%. That is the reason for that increase.

LOL last year the Government said due to all the bills left over by the PLP they would have to run an extraordinary large deficit. This year its back to normal and we are still spending more then we are raising. In addition everything seems to be collapsing. But yeah great job FNM, we are still in a worse position this year then last year. Why didn't you point out how much the debt increased by?

They could have funded NHI for the first year with the money they spent on the hotel. Apparently it is them who don't care much about the health over here.

The real problem is there is no money to give every family island community a school, clinic, dock, airport, and then have the Doctors, teachers, Nurses, police that is needed to go with them. Government should let each island come up with a master plan on how they will manage their island as they see fit. They should also say we will be giving you X amount per year for the next 5 years for you so you can do this. If there is not enough there then they will be unable to have that. The idea that the country can afford to spend millions of dollars every year on settlements with 50 to 100 people living there is no possible, and Government should admit this.

And thats the most important part. Why not fix what is there now and going forward we won't have these issues. There is too much corruption by all that needs to stop. Unfortunately as those in power (all) benefit from the way it is nothing will change.