BRAVE TRIES TO CLEAN UP A MESS

The Prime Minister Philip Davis, in his capacity as the Finance Minister, gave a report to the country about the state of the finances of the country.  There is a supplementary budget coming, one that is realistic and which aligns with the proposals and objectives of the Progressive Liberal Party.

What struck us though is the extent to which it appears that the Free National Movement administration tried to fool the Bahamian public about the state of the public treasury. The Prime Minister said that the PLP discovered that one billion dollars in outstanding bills were not budgeted by the last administration.

Then there was the debacle of the rate reduction bond  for the Bahamas Power and Light.  This was to retire the debt of the old Bahamas Electricity Corporation.  Some 500 million dollars in debt. The last government spent some 20 million trying to get the bond in place but never marketed the bond. It is now left to the PLP to try and get it settled.

These are small examples of why the PLP is now in power.  The extent of the dishonesty is frightening.

We understand that Kwasi Thompson who was the last Minister of State for Finance in the Minnis Government said that Mr. Davis was speaking half-truths when he spoke about the state of the country’s finances. Well let’s take Kwasi Thompson at his words and it is a half-truth.  Half of a billion dollars is still 500 million in accounted for  bills. That’s still no chump change.

The Government notwithstanding this, however, has  moved to put some cash into the hands of the public: pensioners are to get an increase and there are to be cash payments in time for Christmas for those who are receiving financial assistance as an unemployment benefit.

Value Added Tax which the last government set at 12.5 per cent is to be reduced to ten per cent.

This is a good start.

Now  we have to start the jobs programme to get people back to work.