They can also ignore the findings of "Foreign" consultants,
as the foreign consultants could care less what happens to their studies, used or unused.
They are paid promptly.
Bahamian professionals have a stake in the pie,
if ignored,
may talk it.
Our Government administrations cannot have qualified Bahamians speaking out with authority and possibly countering the Government.

It became apparent in the E-passport exercise that in part,
it was to discover and correct wrongly issued old passports.
So, it seems they cannot trust their own documentation!

I believe Income tax has been put back on the table,
hence the information "black out" via Zhivargo Laing and Raymond Winder,
being the only two privy to the negotiations for the last two Pre-Christie years.
VAT and Income taxes do go hand in hand,
and both need financial Information and disclosure from company and individual.
VAT Gets them some of that information.(Company financial information)
TIEA agreements gets them more. (Bahamian foreign jurisdiction holdings)
FATCA gets them even more. (domestic holdings)
They have been busy busy bees.......

Small businesses grossing less than $100k may be exempt,
but the small man will pay at retail and services just like everyone else.
Also there will be a "jump" in the number of small businesses next year, people trying to
"get under" the threshold,
just as right now there is a record number of "Foreign owned" businesses
applying to "expatriate" $$$$$$" profits and excess cash before they are hit
with the additional 5% tax on same. (Story, Trib, Friday)
Typically, Just Like Cool PC,
The Central bank explained that away as being for other reasons.
Not sure if I should be glad they know the real reason and are lying,
or to be worried that they could be so clueless!
BTW, they expatriate US dollars, not "B" dollars, so our foreign reserves
may be hit hard.
We, the Bahamian people, are Damned if we do, Damned if we don't.
Our Government administrations have been coached by these extra-national entities
for decades, and have accepted loans, grants whenever offered.
There is no such thing as free money, period.
Nor free Government goods and services.
The bill is due.

“However, at the level we are at here, we need to try and steer the discussion in that direction".
Steer? the IMF has been driving the Bahamian bus towards the cliff for decades!

Another question is: "What is the level of tax revenues that a country wants to have?"

Enough so the public service and politicians can live high off the hog, give the most needy a few crumbs, and pillage the rest!!

Carve outs, exemptions, special interests, by the time all these have come out of the woodwork,
VAT will be a paper tiger!
Besides, discriminatory treatment is against WTO rules.
Just goes to show that while these are the people implementing this stuff at the instruction of international bureaucracies, they do not understand it!

Most other jurisdictions provide 2-3% to be retained for Administration costs by Private sector merchants! I haven't heard that mentioned.
So, tax Bahamians 15% but tax tourists 10% and never the two shall meet?
this is getting screwier by the day!
These people have no clue as to how it really works in the real world.

The obvious solution, is to Cut Government Spending to revenue levels!!
If this is but part of a four-pronged approach (think pitchfork in the backside)
then how can they be considering spending even more money on Handicapped legislation, National health Care, Standards bureau, and all the other perks for being loyal sheep?
Of course, far from wanting to tell the loyal voters that they BSed their way into winning an election, they will "exempt" some from having to pay it.
You want transparency?
you got it!!!

No Tal, it equates to the spinelessness in the Business community, and the standard practice of staying quiet and making money, in the belief that nothing will ever change.
5cents, this has been coming for a decade!
The deadline just got dropped on Perry, as both PLP and FNM did not want to be the one holding the bag/implementing.

More costs added to doing business in the Bahamas.
While handicapped access is reasonable and quite necessary for building publicly accessible, the private sector will be required to update and modify their premises for access, and will also foot the bill for Government building retrofit.
Usually building permits granted for any renovation/new construction are contingent to making the changes/additions required.
More "first world" compliance and approach that we cannot afford.