the policemen are on contract, i think.
and govt has been slowly increasing the number of workers on contract.

occasionally govt fires peole, but the culprits will do their damage for 20-25 years being politically protected.

On the other hand, the system also protects the competent few from victimization by stupid bosses. sometimes the competent onses just have to sit under the stairs until a new govt comes in.

there is cronyism in certain pockets of the private sector too. i recognize that where i work, i do my job and avoid helping the freeloaders as much as i can without being obvious.

do they sell them in yellow?

One politician on tv last night said bahamians are used to nakedness, because when columbus arrived, the arawaks were all naked.

but of course, that all changed when the slaves were freed in 1967.

the vat is on the banking fees, not on the amou8nt you withdraw.

let's say you withdraw $200.00 and the stamp tax, and central bank fee is $3.50, you pay vat on $3.50.

If you get a cashiers cheque for $300.00, and the bank charges $6.40 for the check, you pay vat on $6.40.

you pay vat on car license and registration too, i think.

Janet Jackson.
how apropo. Her brassiere gonna fall off on Bay Street.

bert and ernie were gay all along, always shaing a bed.

so is spider man and superman, and batman and robin, always rejecting girls for their higher calling. sort of like lawrence of arabia.

every family has a gay person in it, and a fat one, and a skinny one and a bigot one.

> Most of us won't recognize the damages
> that VAT will inflict on our incomes
> until some time to come.

true. however, I see my coworkers already complaining about this and that price, and are starting to feel it.

the customs duties reductions could at best maintain the price, because the vat is charged on dutY. Even if the merchant does not markup on VAT, a 15% reduction on duty, generates about 5% reduction on costs to the merchant, and when vat is charged on the final price, the price will remain the same. on a sunny day, for products which were formerly duty free, or which duty reduction is 15% there were immediate increased.

I have always said that, before vat, if you buy a hot dog machine you paid duty once. Now the duty might have been slightly reduced, but, adding vat, the hot dog machine costs the same . PLUs, PLUS, the govt will collect each time you sel a hot dog well into the future, which it did not do before.

sorry.
first, i do not get paid to inspect businesses.
second, i might be disinfected by PEP.

well, this week, i patronized 2 businesses which have not registered for VAT, but that i am positive should have.

I asked. At one place, the employee said-- we will not be registering for VAT. At the other one, the manager said " we told the owner, and he said he would get back to us, and he has not said anything".

I wonder about political ties.

If persons with political ties do not pay property taxes and national insurance, will they pay VAT.

there are also people who several years behind in business licenses and are never shut down.

The monthly cost of obama care is no different from private insurance.
For folks over 60 it is the same 700 dollars per month.
And like 300 for youngsters.

most pensioners get less than 1,000 per month. is health coming out of their pension?

i really resent having paid for the prescription drug plan for several years and not being eligible until age 60.

and now they are going to nip 200-300 out of my salary, in addition to the taxes that i already pay,to pay health care for others, including illegals. I will no longer be able to afford private health insurance, and will likely not be eligible for it, just like they do with the prescription plan.