Call it by whatever euphemism you like to assuage your conscience. But the intent of this policy is clear, it is targeting children, with the consequence of creating an even larger unemployable, illiterate underclass with no means of survival than crime. Wise up Bahamas.

Mr. Mitchell stop targeting innocent children! Shame on you and the disgrace you will bring on this country with this shortsighted, ignorant policy. Are we not better than this as a nation?This policy is unbahamian, immoral, and violates the un treaty we have signed guaranteeing open and free access to education for all within our country's border regardless of nationality or status. This immoral policy will lead to even greater social ills, with a permanently present but hidden class of uneducated people with no means of sustaining themselves other than crime. It is already creating an international blight on the good reputation of the Bahamas. Do we want this? is this really in our best interest? By all means target the illegal parents who by their decision came here illegally, but for God's sake and ours leave innocent children alone.

Née hau mah? I for one welcome our new Chinese overlords. In fact to prepare I have begun learning mandarin. This foreign direct investment is nothing new, in fact all of our major tourist projects are funded this way and always have been. He who pays the bills calls the shots, always has been. So what is the uproar? in the past it was the Americans and Europeans, China is now an economic power so it is their turn. Without the Chinese there is no Bahamar and its anticipated 5000 jobs. As Confucius says: " those things you can not change, welcome."

Some well run, smart businesses have chosen to cover the vat charge for their customers. Of course this reduces their profit margin, but should increase their sales volume. I presumed this was what Mr. miller was referring to here and that would have been completely legal. B.E.C could have only charged a 5 % vat ( or no vat at all) but forwarded the legally required 7.5% to the treasury. Naturally, it is completely unrealistic for a company that operates at a chronic deficit but it would not be illegal. It simply reinforces the need B.E.C to be privatized as soon as possible.

The problem lies not with the tribune, I mean for goodness sake Mr. miller is the chairman of the corp. and his words should be accurate and a reflection of the official policy of B.E.C. If he does not speak for B.E.C then who does, so it is news and should be printed. The problem is that that there is no accountability for incompetency nor for accuracy of these statements. In an accountable govt, Mr. miller would have been forced to resign long ago. His position instead of being based on competency and meritocracy is based on political favor, therefore it matters not that his statements have no meaning or accuracy. Until this corp is privatized we will listen ad naseum to this meaningless drivel, while he continues to receive his fat salary for gross incompetence.

It is very clear from the article that the sample size is every citizen of the Bahamas. It says nothing about the size of the labour force, in fact this the quote from Mr. Christie:
The estimated impact for every consumer is about $2,000,” he told Tribune Business. “For each citizen, you’ve just got a sudden decrease of $2,000.
So the sample size is 350,000 and the correct amount is $857 per citizen, not $2000. I agree with you completely on the issue of fiscal responsibility, but we need to be data driven ( and accurate!) in making wise arguments and decisions.

Exactly, again this is why the $2000 per citizen is wrong. The average person in this country does not earn, much less spend $27,000 on vatable goods and services.

I abhor vat as much as anyone, maybe more, but this figure of $2000 per citizen is grossly inflated to say the least and wrong. The government estimates that in a fiscal year vat revenues will total 300 million. With a population of 350,000 this amounts to $857 per citizen on average, a far cry from $2000!

News stories lead to a disproportionate and unreasonable fear about flying. I like most people have it to a certain extent, so I can empathize. However, the odds of dying in a plane crash are 11 million to 1. You have a far greater chance of being struck by lightning than dying in a crash. So say a prayer as I do, and Godspeed. A ship is safe in a harbour but that is not what ships were made for.
http://theweek.com/article/index/246552…

Our national debt is now at 6 billion, and it is time for tough fiscal choices to be made. Business as usual is not good enough anymore. Bahamasair has become completely unnecessary, in that we have small private airlines that can can service these routes at no cost to the taxpayer. As a matter of policy, govt should only be in essential services that the private sector can not service. This of course includes health care, certainly not aviation. Bahamasair is an albatross around the necks of the Bahamian taxpayer that we do not need anymore. If you are so afraid to fly there are many fast ferries available.