The government is doing itself and the people a disservice by constantly sending out these shockwaves about increases in taxes and other financial burdens. People are trying to keep their heads above water and catch a breath of fresh air. Yes, many things need to be fixed but give the people a lil break.

Did government end the food assistance and unemployment assistance programs too soon? It is apparent that this government is more ‘hot up’ on collecting unpaid taxes from unemployed and struggling Bahamians than it is in relieving the distress and human suffering in this country. Yes, taxes are necessary, but they must be gradual and eventual in times like these. Never the ‘pay now or else…’ approach. otherwise bahamians will be begging for MINNIS to come back SOON!
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Government needs to do an immediate assessment of t what the Unemployment and assistance needs are in the country. (2). Give immediate assistance to persons/families in dire need (3). Buy up ( purchase) ALL the excess local poultry , meat and produce in the country and use them as part of the food assistance programs. (4) Give farmers seed money and other incentives to produce even more crops, poultry and farm animals and continue to use the in the Social service food assistance programs. Even excess catches from fishermen can be used, but the fish must be cleaned else a lot of it will go to waste. But the government can create jobs by hiring fish cleaner or purchase from fish houses. (6) After inventory of um employees are don along with their skill sets, create drives and incentives for businesses to hire those workers. Many of the young, unemployed are teachable and trainable. (7) Find other ways to bring the economy back and increase government revenue rather than trying to tax yourself out of the financial hole. Excess taxation leads to more tax evasoon and many are, like government , trying to get back on their feet. So unless government is prepared to start jailing business owners for unpaid taxes and taking peoples homes for unpaid property taxes, it must give them time to recover.

When they increase NIB contributions on top of minimum wage being increased and causing contributions to be automatically increased, NIB will simply collect LESS contributions. The fact of the matter is the country consists of many small businesses that simply cannot afford to pay anymore TAXES. The country has a number of foreign businesses, some who worked at Bah Mar, The Pointe, Albany and at the Container Port in Grand Bahama, for example. Many do not pay their NIB contributions, not even for their bahamian workers. Then they leave the country owing hundreds of thousands to NIB and millions in other unpaid bills. They get away Scott free! But NIB takes the small local, some mom and pop operated businesses to court. So NIB can’t ever improve its financial status if it only goes after the bread, but let the cheese get away every time. The same thing is happening with BPL and WSC and, to some extent BTC. Foreign companies that have no ties to this country must put up bonds to ensure that ALL their bills are PAID when they leave. Stop being hoodwinked and bamboozled by the shiny red tie and the leather briefcase.

Firstly NIB still operates in the dark ages. While there have been some improvements, NIB needs to embrace more technology to make its operations more efficient and less dependent on Human Resources. Secondly, many of the larger businesses are not paying NIB contributions and/or they are so far behind in contributions it puts a drag on NIB operations. Thirdly, when minimum wage was raised over a decade ago that increase affected sixty percent of tge work force. So sixty percent of NIB contributions were increased by sixty percent. Government plans to increase minimum wage by at least Twenty Percent in the next few months. So sixty percent of contributors to NIB will see their contributions automatically increase by 20 percent. And, of course the increase in minimum wage will also drive up other wages which will also cause their contributions to increase. And with the pandemic coming to an end and people going back to work, there should be an overall increase in contributions and a corresponding decrease in pay-outs. And as NIB discontinued its ‘non-contributor pension and benefits plans’ this should also decrease its payouts. But how profitable are NIB’s investments? Are they too risky and are too many of them not generating any returns or insufficient returns? If government can go after the small businesses and struggling individuals for unpaid taxes, It must also live up to its obligations to NIB. To allow NIB to collapse will be a total disaster and a disservice to the Bahamian people.

Economic experts indicate that gas prices have peaked and will be coming DOWN over the next few weeks as the US and other countries have taken ste to replenish oil/gas supplies that was cereated by the war in Ukraine. And unless some other disruptive force comes into play, prices are expected to remain steady for the next few months.

Hopefully, some investigations were done to find out how and where he got the vest

do gun amnesty programs work.. not really.. Firstly criminals do not turn in their guns. They are criminals and involved in risky behavior so they feel the need to protect themselves. Secondly, most persons who turn on guns will turn in ones they no longer want or need. And guns that probably do not work or are outdated. So the number of active guns still remains on the street. Thirdly, if a person has a weapon that is linked to a serious crime and a few of them, what if he does turn them in? Will the authorities then allow those crimes to go unpunished? The most effective amnesty for firearms is strict enforcement of the law. So even if the public is allowed to turn in weapons..there must be follow up action where persons caught with illegal weapons feel the full brunt of the law

during the pandemic gas was in the $3.26 range. There was so much excess fuel, of all types, that the oil companies were giving it away. Now the price has doubled and the service station operators are threatening to strike. Of course, no one goes into business to lose money or even to not make a profit. Other industries are also affected, like airlines, trucking companies, public transportation, and fishermen.
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but the latest Information is that gas prices are supposed to start coming down over the next few weeks. Some say the inflation prices are not just due to the interruption in the supply of fuel caused by the Ukraine-Russia war, but also due to the large excesses of cash being dumped into the global economy as the world rebounds and people return to work, and some semblance of normal life. The greatest concern for the near future is that the current hyperinflation will drag the economy into a recession. Not only will persons not be able to afford the hyper-priced items but many will cut back on spending to protest the high cost of living and resent the fact that they are not getting value for dollar.. When the consumer cuts back on spending, the producers will have to cut back on production. Persons get laid off and some businesses close down. Even government sees a reduction in its revenue vis a vis taxes and may also seek to lay off workers and also reduce the goods and services they provide to the country.

Obviously the athlete is upset because she didn’t get to play so now she’s going too battle with the coach. And despite the hoorah last week with Wayne Munroe and others, Obidiah is walking right into a wasp nest. And it is not unusual for a coach to be concerned about an athlete’s weight. It is also not unusual for a telly tale teenager to say things like ‘he didn’t let me play because he say I fat.’

y’all cry out about a child molester getting four years prison time plus two years probation for having ‘non-forced’ sex with a 14 year girl, but what is the penalty for Murder in this country? Seriously not what is on the books but what is the average killer getting for murder? What about some who have committed two, three, countless murders even? The murder count as if yesterday was forty. How many people have been convicted for murder thus far this year? How many? The prime minister has promised new innovations to help combat this new murder pandemic, and most likely, these initiatives willl fail. UNLESS they involve getting into the heads of these young men and changing the mindset. Restoring them to their rightful positions in society and giving them a purpose for their lives. In ignorance ( maybe) the government went along with one of its ‘good neighbors’ and declared war on their own young people, males especially. They made it so difficult and sometimes so impossible for young men to survive in this country, a full sense of desperation, despair and hopeless set in. And now these (predators as Hillary Clinton calls them), believe they have nothing to lose by doing what they do. They were never taught that after death comes the judgment. So they do no fear death. They have not rejected God but many are rejecting the false teachings. And you better believe what the next stage of this warfare will be if there is no intervention. Divine or otherwise. They will come into knowledge and tge truth will come to them. And they will turn on those who turned them against their brothers. The contents of some of these diplomatic pouches will be revealed and the real purpose of some of these many agents operating in this country and other Caribbean countries will be exposed…and there will be no escape. Like you don’t know.