In a real democracy, the people get a voice in making decisions that will affect their future.
Hat's off to those who have accepted a king, or a tyranny.

I appreciate the explanation for why we must raise rates to protect our environmental resources and maintain a fair playing field.
I do not discount these arguments.
However, it certainly seems after decades of close observation that those in Bahamian government have no understanding of economics. None.
Worse, it seems that every dollar the treasury does manage to collect, (from foreigners of course) ends up missing, stolen or has treated as legally unaccounted for.
How else to describe the very high indebtedness of The Bahamas, which year by year deprives Bahamians of national development?
How else to describe the backwards, deteriorating state of our infrastructure, health care system, utilities, and lack of transparency in our government?
How else to describe the bankruptcy of nearly every state owned enterprise run by our people?
The argument in favor of raising use fees and increasing bureaucracy is said to favor our people and our natural resources.
Nobody paying attention could suggest that any administration in our history has given a damn about our natural resources, or our people. They talk sweet, as all lawyers do.
This move is about getting more and more money into a flailing and sinking government's coffers.
Nothing more. Any administration who is willing to put VAT on healthcare is clearly not thinking of its people.
If we were serious about fairness and equity, we would begin by taxing our richest Bahamians in a manner consistent with an educated Christian idea of fairness.
See, this is where an ignorant and uneducated populace comes into play.
Our natural resources would be best protected by educating our youth as to their spiritual, economic and biological importance to our lives.
Is there one Bahamian politician who understands this? ONE?
Seems not. All we can do is talk about the money other people OWE us.
The yachts, the private planes, the rest of the world for climate change, the homeowners, all these foreigners are not paying their fair share, to us. That's what we keep hearing.
Yet, we know that it is our own politicians and their lackeys, which constitute a far too large share of the population, who are stealing this country blind and preventing any national uplift. Is this even debatable?
This administration is among the worst.
Do our MP's take out personal loans every year to buy their new houses and new projects?
But, they have no problem loading debt onto our children's future, do they?
It seems that to ascend into Bahamian politics it is necessary to sell one's soul.
Prove me wrong.

Are you a certified idiot?

It is called a shake-down.
This is when criminals need ever more money to satiate their greed and dishonest practices.
Nobody paying attention, who reads our newspapers, would think otherwise.
How's that voice note investigation going?
Where is our reliable electricity, water and internet service?
Where are these billions of dollars flowing into our country going?
Nobody seems to know.
As moncurcool says, "Are we living in a dictatorship? Answer. Yes.
I noticed a sign in BOB that says that anyone owing Dept. of Internal Revenue VAT, will have that money taken from their account.
And just who are these people?
This country has become a joke. Our MPs are jokey leaders, as KB says, at best.
We have zero accountability from anyone in government.
And, with a national D- national education system, we can be assured that pertinent questions will not be asked, or answered.
We are lead by a group of people who don't give a rat's ass about The Bahamas.
They may say they are Bahamian, but they'll take their money and be gone from these shores in a heartbeat.
And, it seems the Bahamian public doesn't give a damn.
Find us at the webshop or the liquor store.
We just don't care.
If we did, wouldn't things have changed for the better?
Does anyone see things getting better in this country?
Better services, less violence and murders?
More truthfulness for our leadership?
The only danger to those in political power are those that tell the truth.
Funny how a supposedly Christian nation doesn't understand why Jesus was killed, hey?
Christian means Christ-like. Don't make me laugh.

We have become desensitized to violence.
Seems money is our only God now.

"Another realtor said bluntly: “It’s a disaster zone, a total disaster zone. They’ll [the Department of Inland Revenue] look at some listing someone has for property in the same neighbourhood and, say it’s for $500,000, will say your property must be worth the same."
"
It’s very concerning, because we hold our breath every time there is a sale. I don’t understand why they want to make life more complicated, and make citizens more upset. Just make it simple. They’re so desperate for money and I don’t know why.”
I've been saying for some time that Dept. of Inland Revenue is a rogue organization with far, far too much power.
When greed, ignorance and political power are combined, this is what you get.
No understanding of parity, no understanding of business practices, no understanding of what the increasing burdens placed upon our people causes in an economy.
When you have an uneducated and mean spirited political class, as we have here in The Bahamas, there will be no uplift to the people.

If the Dept. of Internal Revenue wants to collect every penny, try observing the Customs line at LPIA for a few minutes. Is this efficient? Is it moral? Is it not a slap in the face to every Bahamian citizen?
Sorry, but it doesn't take the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Report to prove we are a bad joke.
One has to wonder, do we really have so few people who think in this country?

This administration, and probably most administrations here throughout history, speak and act as if they have no duty to inform the Bahamian public about anything they do.
They are almost as secretive as most criminals are. If you are doing nothing wrong, why stay silent?
Unless you hold those who pay your salary in utter contempt.
Either way, those voted in are useless to the uplift of this country.

Bahamas Customs is a joke.
We need to abolish Customs duty.
Customs has helped corrupt this country to its core.
To watch the line of Bahamians get their bags searched is a slap in the face to our people, while the tourists walk freely by.
Does anyone think the criminal class, including the politicians deal with this Duty nonsense?
Luckily, most Bahamians can't or don';t read, so they have no idea of how devastating this antiquated way of raising the money to run our government is.
So long as the current way of raising our revenue exists, we will be awash in corruption and forever killing the working class and poor in this country.
The rich, like our PM, pay a very small percentage of their income as taxes to run The Bahamas, while the bulk of the revenue comes from those least able to afford it.
It is the most unChristian way of running a country one can imagine.
If one thinks at all.

I wonder if she would have fared differently had she gone foreign right from the start?
Just asking.

birdie,
You are a certifiable idiot. No apologies. An idiot.