business@tribunemedia.net
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
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• Ambition tempered by growth taper-off after strong years
• Dealer urges used auto age limits cut from 10 to 7 years
growth are frequently followed by a “retraction” because buyer demand has largely been satisfied. While not providing gross figures for the industry as
a whole, the BMDA chief also disclosed that new car sales had exceeded 2024’s “substantial” full-year numbers by 4 percent at
end-November 2025 with one month still remaining. And, describing himself as “cautiously optimistic” for 2026, Mr Albury told this newspaper that the strong back-to-back years of 2024 and 2025 have allowed Bahamian auto dealers to “recover, recalibrate” and expand their workforces following what he described as “a couple of difficult years” and the lockdowns and supply chain disruption that
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‘Bar set high’: New auto sales surge 15% in 2025 • BMDA chief: ‘We’ll take THE 15 percent increase any increase in new auto sales for we can get’ 2025 “sets the bar high” for this year, the Bahain 2026 mas Motor Dealers BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
Association’s (BMDA) president revealed yesterday, with most industry operators likely “to take any increase we can get”. Ben Albury, also Bahamas Bus and Truck’s general manager, told Tribune Business that - while dealers
would “like to see another 15 percent increase” in 2026 - such ambitions are being tempered by historical experience which has shown successive years of
‘Dangerous’ to reject tax reform because ‘unpopular or difficult’ BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
Grand Lucayan worker send- home industrial deal ‘breach’ BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE BAHAMAS was yesterday warned it is “dangerous” to dismiss tax reform options simply because they are perceived as “unpopular or “difficult” to implement, the head of a private sector tax advoGOWON BOWE cacy group warned yesterday. Gowon Bowe, who headed the Coalition for Responsible Taxation when VAT was introduced on New Year’s Day 2015, told Tribune Business that the critical issue on any new tax is whether it is “appropriate” and serves the Bahamas best after Michael Halkitis, minister of economic affairs, last week again ruled out implementing a personal income tax. And he also argued that the Government has made life difficult for itself in seeking to “discredit” assertions that the elimination of VAT on unprepared foods will only save the average Bahamian household $11 per month, or $127 per year, by failing to produce any studies or empirical evidence that informed its thinking to disprove this. Suggesting that the Davis administration had “fallen victim” to what it had accused its Minnis predecessor of, namely failing to produce the evidence to justify hiking the VAT rate from 7.5 percent to 12 percent, Mr Bowe said the debate over potential Bahamian savings from the Government’s latest bid to ease cost of living
SAVINGS - See Page B2
THE Trades Union Congress (TUC) president yesterday asserted he is “making all efforts” to meet with the Prime Minister in a bid to resolve the fate of Grand Lucayan workers sent home without due pay amid continued uncertainty over the resort’s sale. Obie Ferguson KC told Tribune Business that the hotel and its government-controlled
owner, the Lucayan Renewal Holdings special purpose vehicle (SPV), had breached the industrial agreement with the Bahamas Hotel Managerial Association (BHMA), which represents the property’s estimated 91 middle management, over how it has treated employees. Voicing optimism that Philip Davis KC’s intervention will ensure an acceptable settlement is reached, the TUC president nevertheless described talks with the country’s leader as “very, very, very
OBIE FERGUSON KC
ROSEWOOD EXUMA SITE PLAN
THE developer behind the $200m Rosewood Exuma project last night asserted it has reduced the size of its service dock by one-third in the latest plans submitted to Bahamian planning authorities for a new site plan approval. Yntegra Group, the Miami-based developer, responding after a senior Department of Physical
characterised the COVID19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Fred Albury, the Auto Mall chief, said 2025 was “a bit off” for his dealership, which includes the Toyota, BMW and Hyundai brands, due to increased market competition including the influx of Chinese models. He also called on the Government to follow
TRANSPORT - See Page B4
• Union chief ‘making all efforts’ to resolve issue with PM • Confirms ‘chilling’ effect as staff sent home without pay • Gov’t ‘really making a mess’ of transition in ownership urgent” given the “chilling” impact the situation is having on Grand Lucayan workers and their families - especially their ability to pay bills and plan their lives. And, expressing surprise at what has occurred, Mr Ferguson told this newspaper that sending staff home without due pay is contrary to how he was told the Grand Lucayan
KWASI THOMPSON
Rosewood Exuma developer: Service dock cut by ‘a third’ BY FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
BEN ALBURY
Planning official asserted there are “significant concerns” over the service dock’s location said that the new design involved consultation with Bahamian environmental specialists. In a statement, it added that the revised site plan has significantly scaled back the service dock, reducing its size and moving it farther away from neighbouring properties such as Turtlegrass Resort and Island Club, which has been among its chief opponents.
RESORT - See Page B2 Yntegra Group also pledged to have cut down on cubic dredging volumes and the size of the area that will be impacted, noting there are no zoning or planning laws prohibiting a dock in East Sampson Cay’s North Bay. “Yntegra believes that revision and refinement are integral to responsible development and an important part of creating a world-class resort,” it said. “We have revised our designs following many constructive conversations with the local community, and are working with respected, experienced Bahamian scientists and professionals to ensure that
REDUCE - See Page B4