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Cabinet says no to tax on alcohol L! ADS SEL PHOTO 351 002 / 502-2
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Cruise passengers may be charged more to help pay for hurricane damage By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net AMID fiery criticism levelled at the government over Prime Minister Perry Christie’s suggestion that there could be a special tax to assist the country in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, Cabinet yesterday discussed the feasibility of a sin tax on tobacco and alcohol to accumulate the necessary funding for repair and recovery efforts, The Tribune was told. However, according to high-level government sources, this idea was rejected by the majority of Cabinet ministers who believe that to raise money, the Christie administration should consider avenues that free Bahamians from
additional taxation. Among these is the suggestion of a cruise ship passenger tax, which would ensure local taxpayers are not subject to further tariffs, the source explained to this newspaper. Cabinet has not made a final determination on the issue, The Tribune was told. But while the possibility of a new hurricane tax was met with backlash yesterday by Bahamians who voiced their concerns on social media, the idea was welcomed by staunch Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) members who praised the prime minister for advancing a suggestion that could be the country’s solution to recovering from the devastation caused by Matthew. SEE PAGE SIX
FNM AND DNA UNITED IN OPPOSITION TO NEW TAX By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
OPPOSITION Leader Dr Hubert Minnis said the Free National Movement is opposed to any possible attempt by the Christie administration to implement a new tax to cover the cost of damage from Hurricane Matthew. Prime Minister Perry Christie told the media Monday that the government may have to consider introducing such a tax, noting that the country’s finances are strained and the Bahamas faces credit downgrade threats.
The Tribune understands a tax introduction was discussed in Cabinet yesterday, though no final decision was made. Government insiders also said a “sin tax� on items like alcohol and tobacco has been considered. Bahamians, nonetheless, reacted with anger across social media yesterday at the idea that a tax would even be contemplated. And for his part, Dr Minnis said: “People are suffering enough. They have VAT and we can’t account for how it is being spent. The Bahamian people cannot SEE PAGE SIX
MAN SHOT DEAD AND CHILDREN HURT AS GUNMEN FIRE ON CAR By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net A MAN was murdered and children injured after three gunmen opened fire on the vehicle they were in on Amos Ferguson Street, off Cordeaux Avenue last night. Police said five children were in a white Toyota Corolla with the victim when SEE PAGE FIVE
Here come the reinforcements
POWERSECURE bucket trucks arrived in Nassau yesterday to be inspected and licensed as they get ready to assist Bahamas Power and Light in restoring power on the island. See story on page three. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
LEFT WITHOUT POWER FOR 14 DAYS By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
FOR 14 days now, Francita Strachan has been cut off from family and friends whom she imagines are concerned about her well being, as she’s been unable to make and receive phone calls or even take a proper bath because she lives on the half of Sea Link Avenue that has yet to be energised by Bahamas Power and Light (BPL). Mrs Strachan said these days, apart from longing for breeze to cool her off as she sits on her porch, she hopes to see at least one BPL truck on her street. This, Mrs Strachan told The Tribune yesterday,
FRANCITA STRACHAN would give her optimism that she and her neighbours will have power soon. Sea Link Avenue is in southern New Providence. “We have no phone, no
light and no water,� she said. “So this very much so affects me. We are next to okay in the day, except for the heat, but at night with no light and no water it’s rough. I have to struggle to lift that big heavy thing of water to flush my toilet. I’ve also lost several hundred dollars worth of food from the two large freezers that we have. “I can’t call anyone so I hope, I hope, I really hope that BPL would come and get us on soon.� Right next to Ms Strachan’s residence, sat a frustrated Thisley Frazier. He’s been living in his home since 1982 and said this ordeal has been hard to live through, especially with family, including a young
grandson, to worry about. He said having to tote water in a large barrel every night was the least of his concerns, as he fears mostly for his family’s safety. “The light is everything here. There is no water, no phone, no nothing. Right now it’s either getting water from friends and family, but mostly I go to the government pump in the Grove or anywhere nearby. “I am frustrated of course. I have kids and I have a grandson and all that. Water is essential for everyone. Like later on tonight I will go and get that (water) drum right there and I will refill that hopefully.� SEE PAGE TWO
TURNQUEST SAYS UNWISE TO LET CONFIRMED NUMBER OF ZIKA CHINA HAVE TOO MUCH INFLUENCE CASES HAS NOW RISEN TO 17 By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
FREE National Movement Deputy Leader K Peter Turnquest yesterday regretted that Bahamians were only “bit players� in the ongoing Baha Mar saga, as he decried the sale of Baha Mar’s assets to a company created by the $3.5bn project’s financier, the Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM).
Mr Turnquest warned that it was unwise for one entity to hold such a major stake that it could impact the country’s GDP overnight, referring to the collective investment in both New Providence and Grand Bahama by governmentowned Chinese companies. “We know in the terms of the significance of the investment, it is significant to us as a country, our SEE PAGE EIGHT
By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net
THERE have been no additional confirmed cases of the Zika virus in New Providence in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, with a senior health official claiming there have been fewer reports of mosquito bites in the wake of the category four storm. Chief Medical Officer Dr Glen Beneby told reporters
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
yesterday there have been no new confirmed cases of the virus since October 3, when the Ministry of Health, via its official website, reported that the number of confirmed cases in New Providence had risen to 17. Dr Beneby said since the passage of Hurricane Matthew, he and another “senior physician� have had discussions about the virus, SEE PAGE EIGHT