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The Tribune
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Volume: 120 No.117, June 21, 2023
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NIB MAY INCREASE EVERY TWO YEARS Laroda doesn’t confirm size of rise ...but says it’s small price to pay By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
MINISTER of State Myles Laroda spoke in Parliament late last night on the NIB contribution increase. Photo: Austin Fernander
MYLES Laroda said the government is considering increasing National Insurance Board’s contribution rate every two years for “a period of time” to stabilise the fund, noting next year’s rate increase will be shared
equally between employees and employers. He did not say what the contribution rate will increase to. However, he discussed what would happen if the rate increased by 1.5 per cent. “If the rate is 1.5 per cent, the employer’s portion rises from 5.9 per cent
to 6.65 per cent, and the employee’s portion rises from 3.9 per cent to 4.65 per cent,” said Mr Laroda, the state minister responsible for NIB in the Office of the Prime Minister. He spoke during his contribution to the Budget debate in the House of Assembly SEE PAGE FOUR
BPL SENDS HELP AS SEARS SAYS Birth certificate enough for citizenship CALLS FOR GOVT TO REPAY VICTIMS WEATHER HIT POWER IN ABACO By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net WORKS and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears said Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) is sending engines to Abaco to improve the island’s electricity generation capacity after bad weather affected the company’s distribution lines, causing recent outages. His comment came after Central and South Abaco MP John Pinder lashed out at BPL in the House
of Assembly on Monday, calling the frequent power outages a “disgrace”. Mr Pinder said power has been on “less than 30 per cent of the time” in the last week. Yesterday, Mr Sears said many legacy issues facing BPL won’t be solved overnight. He said recent outages in Abaco, Acklins and Mayaguana prove that the government cannot do the “same old” thing, adding: SEE PAGE FIVE
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMIANS born to unwed Bahamian men and foreign women will get a passport without facing unique requirements as long as their father is identified on their birth certificate, Attorney General Ryan Pinder said yesterday. However, he said, those without a father on their birth certificate would have to produce genetic test results proving paternity to get a passport, which signifies Bahamian citizenship.
ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell, responsible for the Passport Office, told The Tribune he would
inform the permanent secretary in his ministry about the new rules, kick-starting the process by which people can get a passport if their father’s name is on their birth certificate. “We’ve vetted those rules now with the Passport Office, the Minister of Immigration and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who has portfolio responsibility of the Passport Office,” Mr Pinder told reporters before a Cabinet meeting. “They have provided their comments and we revised those and circulated a revised draft to that group
CAFE Matisse, a popular restaurant in the heart of Nassau, is closing down after 28 years in operation, according to owner Greg Curry. Mr Curry confirmed the permanent closure of the eatery yesterday,
but declined to comment further, saying he is not currently participating in interviews. It is not clear how many employees will be affected by the closure. The restaurant draws its name from famous French painter Henri Matisse, while it specialises in Italian food.
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
Its food is among the most highly rated in the country. As rumours of its closure spread recently, some have taken to social media to lament. “Tbh I haven’t been able to think straight since I found out Cafe Matisse
THE government was yesterday urged to “make it a new day” for long-suffering CLICO (Bahamas) policyholders amid concerns that zero of the $3.8m compensation allocated in the 2022-2023 Budget has been paid out. Bishop Simeon Hall, who was among those impacted by the life and health insurer’s 2009 implosion, told Tribune Business that too many Bahamians are stuck “in the wilderness” more than 14 years later and have yet to recover all - or any of their life and retirement savings. He agrued it was “taking too long” to make CLICO’s Bahamian victims whole and renewed calls for the government to fulfill its promises to those who continue to die in increasing numbers without ever recovering their full investments.
SEE PAGE SEVEN
FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
SEE PAGE THREE
CAFE MATISSE TO CLOSE DOORS PERMANENTLY By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net
OF CLICO AND FULFILL PROMISE
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