Osborne has done his best to put hard working Bahamian employees on notice that their National Insurance pension and other benefits have been plundered, pillaged and squandered by greedy politicians as a result of the unnecessary employment by NI of their family members and friends, the payment of fraudulent benefits to these same individuals, and the "sweet" real estate deals and leasing arrangements given to the business cronies / partners of government officials in the private sector.

A foreign group with a longtime well established track record having both the expertise and financial resources is what's needed here; one without dead weight costly baggage added to it by our government in the form of Bahamian frontmen with political ties such as Snake and his cronies. Also, given the monopoly situation that will exist, it is absolutely vital that URCA be able to play a key regulatory role in the rate setting process for electricity sold to Bahamian consumers.

“Taking place in the last three decades or so in countries around the globe has been the planned, organized and deliberate looting of national wealth and resources on a scale so massive as never before seen in history. This pillage and plunder is usually accomplished by forcible, questionable and dishonest means. Usually such acts of sacking are committed by an enemy but what makes this genre of spoliation so different is that it is practiced by people indigenous to the countries. Worse, those responsible are the men and women who eagerly sought and obtained public office or had it thrust on them {i.e. politicians}. These are not some marauding horde of armed bandits who have no stake in the conquered territory and therefore have no scruples about sacking and destroying property belonging to the enemy. Furthermore, the looting is directed at all the wealth-generating sectors of the economy, with long lasting consequences on society as a whole. It is only fair and just that these constitutionally responsible rulers are held individually accountable before the law of nations for their acts of economic sabotage. In Prosecutor v. Erdemovic, the tribunal captured the essence of a crime against humanity as ‘… inhumane acts that by their very extent and gravity go beyond the limits tolerable to the international community, which must per force demand their punishment. But crimes against humanity also transcend the individual because when the individual is assaulted, humanity comes under attack and is negated. It is therefore the concept of humanity as victim which essentially characterizes crimes against humanity.’ When heads of state {i.e. political leaders in government} take for {their} private use {or political benefit} state resources that are sufficient to retire {their} country’s external debt, such conduct goes beyond the pale and deserves to be punished.”

Source: The International Law of Responsibility for Economic Crimes

In response to concerned citizen: The U.S. decided a long time ago that its much more cost effective and efficient for them to fight the so called "inner tubes" 12 miles off their shores rather than through a vast archipelago of islands. As for cutting us off from the worldwide financial system, the U.S. has been hell bent on doing that to just about every banana republic that exists on the planet for the protection of the system itself. we just need to vote for politicians who appreciate this fact and are not inclined to behave like imbeciles or employ/contract with known thieves!!!!

Neil Hartnell needs to take a hard look at himself in the mirror when it comes to his insatiable appetite for being a publicist for James Smith. The Tribune should also start asking Hartnell the "right $$$$" questions about his love fest with Smith as well as its own "great $$$$$$ love affair" with Greek sponsored advertising!

Osborne is recommending a sensible approach to a problem that is already out of control....employers are in effect stealing from their employees. An effective law enforcement program, one with teeth that truly hurt when they bite, is the only way of dealing with unscrupulous thieving employers. Start by putting those teeth on Jones of Jones & Co. to ensure he has no relapse in his ways!

Like James Smith, this fella Allen is a dinosaur that won't become extinct! For years he was in charge of our country's finances and just look at the pathetic state they are in today. He has always been too easily intimidated by a boisterous PM and therefore largely ineffectual as regards his true underlying leanings on economic policy and solutions for our country's financial woes. If he could flat come clean with the Bahamian public, he should tell you us that the following inter-related factors (in order of significance) are primarily responsible for the perilous financial condition that our country finds itself in today :

1) The inability of our FNM and PLP governments to protect the sovereign interests of our country by addressing the wicked financial assault beset on us by foreign governments like the U.S. through their agencies (e.g. irs, imf, wto, oecd, World Bank, IDB, etc.) who all wrongfully perceive a financially healthy Bahamas to be inconsistent with their own national security interests;

2) The enormous concessions granted to foreign investors by PLP and FNM governments alike in exchange for "favours" (the polite word for "bribes") of one kind or another that benefit the politicians, their political party or their local business cronies/partners (often family members or close personal friends);

3) The corrupt influence peddling of our politicians, whether they be PLP or FNM, in business ventures for the benefit of themselves and their business cronies/partners in the private sector, particularly involving the procurement by government of goods and services at grossly inflated prices to accommodate "flow back arrangements" (once again, often involving family members or very close friends); and

4) The persistent failure of FNM and PLP governments alike to enforce the already existing revenue raising laws of our country (e.g. customs duties, stamp taxes, real property taxes, BEC revenues, etc.) as a result of turning a blind eye to the granting of "favours" to the "big guy" who is willing to line the pockets of politicians, ministry of finance personnel, customs officers, public treasury personnel, BEC personnel, and on and on.......

yes, mr. allen, we don't need a vat...but true to form you are coming to the table much too late and much too sheepishly! we just need to address items 1 through 4 above! common sense should tell you that and it is that which you should be willing to frankly tell your fellow bahamian citizen!!

What Nottage now needs to tell us (but don't hold your breath for it) is how much the Numbers People like Flowers paid into the pockets of the PLP party and/or their bag men.

This fella Smith has no shame whatsoever. For years he was in charge of our country's finances and just look at the pathetic state they are in today. He has always been a big proponent for the introduction of VAT and this alone should be good reason for us to stay with customs duties and stamp tax as our principal means of taxation. Truth be told, the following inter-related factors (in order of significance) are primarily responsible for the perilous financial condition that our country finds itself in today :

1) The inability of our FNM and PLP governments to protect the sovereign interests of our country by addressing the wicked financial assault beset on us by foreign governments like the U.S. through their agencies (e.g. irs, imf, wto, oecd, World Bank, IDB, etc.) who all wrongfully perceive a financially healthy Bahamas to be inconsistent with their own national security interests;

2) The enormous concessions granted to foreign investors by PLP and FNM governments alike in exchange for "favours" (the polite word for "bribes") of one kind or another that benefit the politicians, their political party or their local business cronies/partners (often family members or close personal friends);

3) The corrupt influence peddling of our politicians, whether they be PLP or FNM, in business ventures for the benefit of themselves and their business cronies/partners in the private sector, particularly involving the procurement by government of goods and services at grossly inflated prices to accommodate "flow back arrangements" (once again, often involving family members or very close friends); and

4) The persistent failure of FNM and PLP governments alike to enforce the already existing revenue raising laws of our country (e.g. customs duties, stamp taxes, real property taxes, BEC revenues, etc.) as a result of turning a blind eye to the granting of "favours" to the "big guy" who is willing to line the pockets of politicians, ministry of finance personnel, customs officers, public treasury personnel, BEC personnel, and on and on.......

we don't need a vat mr. smith....we just need to address items 1 through 4 above! common sense should tell you mr. smith that a vat system inherently vulnerable to corruption by its very nature is not a solution to our financial woes!!!!

Isn't this the same Ishmael Lightbourne who was fired from one of the big international accounting firms in 2004 for stealing millions from its clients which he then stupidly invested in bogus Nigerian schemes that parted him from his ill-gotten stolen wealth? The U.S. government (FBI) has had the "goods" on Lightbourne's nefarious background for years.....and they have been scratching their heads in disbelief that the Bahamian government appointed him for a spell to the World Bank and now have him on the Ministry of Finance's payroll through the Office of none other than our Prime Minister, Perry "Vomit" Christie! No wonder we can garner little or no respect in the international financial arena, especially when it comes to the U.S. If the Bahamian government is employing known thieves, then the country fully deserves to be paying much higher rates of interest on its foreign currency borrowings.....it's really as simply as that!!