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456 responses to “Barbados Budget 2017”


  1. PM’S new ride

    Added by Barbados Today on June 2, 2017.

     

    Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has a brand new ride.

    Amid all the talk about austerity, Stuart is now driving around in a sleek S-Class Mercedes Benz, fresh out of the Simpson Motors showroom at Warrens.

    The S-Class is said to be valued at $350,000 duty free or over $700,000 inclusive of duties.


  2. When the people call you impotent you gottsa look impotent


  3. There was discussing during the Budget about a 1.5 million charged by PM’s friend and campaign manager Hal Gollop.

    illiam Duguid

    1 hr ·

    Can you imagine that someone named Hal Gollop who is or was the former Law Partner of Freundel Stuart Invoiced the Barbados Water Authority 1.5 Million dollars That is $1,500,000.00 For attending meetings. Look at the invoice.

    No automatic alt text available.

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  4. @David June 3, 2017 at 6:43 AM “Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has a brand new ride.”

    This is NOT the Prime Minister’s car. This is OUR car bought with OUR TAX MONEY.

    And I don’t know why anybody needs a $350,000 vehicle to drive from Ilaro Court to Bay Street, or the top of Broad street, or from Marchfield to the same places. Whichever civil servant(s) approved thispurchase especially now that things are so tough should be fired.

    Why are we using barely middle class people’s ax money to further enrich the 1%?

    Stupssseee!!!


  5. tax


  6. Froon is taking advantage of the fact that Bajans are brass bowl idiots.
    Wunna was thinking all along that Bushie was making sport bout this brass bowl thing….

    He WAS NOT!!!

    Don’t even talk ’bout Gollop…
    He needs to be asked under oath about what he knows of Mrs Smith…..
    That shiite still galls the bushman…


  7. The BRA is charged with harmonizing collection of taxes. Its implementation has created much stress on the Barbados landscape. Recently the Banks as a group told them in the most empathic way to kiss their behids. Surely heads need to roll at the BRA?

    "In his latest report for 2016 which was released earlier this week, Auditor General Leigh Trotman reported on the findings of a detailed audit of the operations of BRA.

    Based on that investigation, Trotman said there was worrying evidence of several infelicities, including a shortage of vital financial accounting information, understated tax revenues and unverifiable refunds balances.

    And even though no shares have been issued by the central revenue collection agency, it was laughable that a figure for share capital was reported in BRA’s statement of changes of equity for the 2015/2016 financial year.

    “This is misleading and should be corrected to reflect a more accurate assessment of the activities of the Fund,” the Auditor General has warned.

    In his 152-page report for last year, Trotman also reported that even though BRA reported assets of $3.7 million and liabilities of $392,000, there were no schedules or other forms of documentation presented to support these balances.

    At the same time, grant income from the Ministry of Finance in the amount of $28 million was understated by $4.3 million, while the Authority’s expenditure was said to be overstated by $309,000."

    BRA employee accused of theft

     


  8. Dear David: Is this accused thief the niece of a high ranking BRA official?

  9. Carson C. Cadogan Avatar
    Carson C. Cadogan

    “You don’t get tired of defending foolishness?
    Stupssseee!!!”

    You don’t get tired writing foolishness?
    Stupssseee!!!

    ….but then again you are speaking to a demographic that is dumb and stupid.

    The Prime Minister’s office has a brand new car, not the Freundel Stuart.

    But then again you don’t have a lot of common sense


  10. @Bush Tea June 3, 2017 at 8:06 AM “Don’t even talk ’bout Gollop…He needs to be asked under oath about what he knows of Mrs Smith”

    If my mummy had been murdered (thankfully she died peacefully in her own bed when she was nearly 100) I would be calling the police every day to see what progress is being made, and I would be visiting the Commisioner of Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions every week, and talking/writing about it in the media.

    None of these officials could rest.

    I am surprised that Mrs. Smith’s children seem to be taking their mother’s murder easy, easy so.

    Murder is the most grevious of wrongs, especially the murder of one’s mother, and moreso because her husband has dementia and cannot BLOCK/represent for her.

    There is NOTHING that could keep me overseas if somebody had murdered my mother. I would make public officials shite until they found a solution.


  11. Aurelius Smith is dead.


  12. Alright he had dementia and was nearly dead, and now he is dead. But Mrs. Smith’s children are not dead.

  13. Carson C. Cadogan Avatar
    Carson C. Cadogan

    Why cant Mr. Mottley tell the Nation of Barbados if the crooked Barbados Labour Party is going legalise SAME SEX marriages?

    Why cant he tell the Nation of Barbados if the crooked Barbados Labour Party is going to legalise Bulling?

    Why cant we told bthe y crooked Barbados Labour Party if it is going to legalise wicking?

    Why cant we be told by the crooked Barbados Labour Party if it is going to legalise prostitution?

  14. Carson C. Cadogan Avatar
    Carson C. Cadogan

    What about MP-1? have you forgotten about that?


  15. @Carson C. Cadogan June 3, 2017 at 8:57 AM “But then again you don’t have a lot of common sense.”

    Have we met sir?


  16. @Carson C. Cadogan June 3, 2017 at 9:13 AM “Why cant Mr. Mottley tell the Nation of Barbados if the crooked Barbados Labour Party is going legalise SAME SEX marriages? Why cant he tell the Nation of Barbados if the crooked Barbados Labour Party is going to legalise Bulling?”

    Would that help you Carson love? Would it permit you to stop living in sin? And permit you to marry your beloved long time partner?

  17. Carson C. Cadogan Avatar
    Carson C. Cadogan

    FACTS

    St. Phillip water augmentation plant
    Water meter replacement project
    Pipe laying to replace lead pipes over one hundred years old
    New desalination plants in St. Lucy and Christ Church.

    DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PARTY WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE.


  18. Ignore that idiot Simple…
    You are a saint compared to Bushie…

    Mrs Smith is no relation, ….and yet Bushie is afraid of the emotions that run in his head at the various thoughts….
    ANY FELLA who has ANY information …. would be hard pressed to continue to ‘enjoy life to the fullest’ were the bushman in ANY way related….
    …even as it is…. &%$#&^%$@ !!!

    WRT the BRA employee…
    Wuh she must have thought that she was an MP….!!!
    …or some kinda minister of state…

    Yuh would have thought it more likely for a man to be caught with his hands in a BRA…..
    These days are funny night yuh…


  19. Not sure how a single employee should be able to rob BRA of hundreds of thousands of dollars.


  20. Receive $1,600 cash for the road tax from all ‘o wunna who have big rides.

    Issue a receipt for $1,600.

    After the customer has gone go into the system and change the account to show that the customer has paid $400.

    Take out the $1,200 cash and keep it for yourself.

    So $400 cash is in the till, and a $400 payment record is in the system.

    Easy peasy.

    You can hide the cash in your panty, because nooooo employer dares to search a woman’s panties right?

    Do this from 2014 to May 2017 and you have a nice little pile of cash to hide in a Miami bank account.

    And to facilitate this be sweet and charming to your customers, superiors and subordinates. Everybody loves and trusts a sweet girl, and will give her the keys to the kingdom, maybe even you David.

    Maybe even Bushie.

    This would not have happened if the alleged perpetrator was a big bellied old man. Nobody loves big bellied old men. They can’t get ‘way with neffen.


  21. If wunna believe in single acts of dishonest then wunna must also believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

    That is like believing somebody who says they have only ever had sex once.

    NOBODY only has sex once.

    NOBODY ever steals once.


  22. @David June 3, 2017 at 9:01 AM “Aurelius Smith is dead.”

    May he aka ‘Joe Physics’ rest peacefully!

    Growing up, it seemed to me that along with his brothers and families like the Symmonds (Algy, Pat et al), the Simmons (former CJ et al), the Williams (Headmaster, Ambassador, Judge et al) and others were so much larger than life itself here in Bim.

    But in adulthood the aura that surrounded a few of those prominent and noteworthy achievers diminished in my eyes.

    They were certainly not all as full of sanctity as they appeared in that blush of youthful wide-eyed exuberance…yet they set an outward tone which is difficult not to admire.

    A reflection to the past and onward to the future!


  23. LOL @ Simple Simon
    Maybe even Bushie.
    ++++++++++++++++
    Not stinking Bushie…
    Too old and wise to be tricked by a little cat… more than once… 🙂


  24. @David June 3, 2017 at 10:18 AM re “Not sure how a single employee should be able to rob BRA of hundreds of thousands of dollars.”—-

    Well, one can argue that it’s also absolutely unclear how a single Bajan PM and his cabinet of ministers could be so abjectly corrupt to foist multi-million $$ scandal after multi-million $$ on the electorate and yet be ready to be reelected!

    How as part of that could a Speaker of the House of Assembly have such hubris to remain in his role after being so embarrassingly ridiculed by a Judge as basically being a thief and professional liar….and the PM embraces that behaviour warmly.

    Alas, when we become so inured to a perspective of amoral acts we tend to turn our eyes away and accept ‘the way of life’….

    …. by the time something finally shakes us from our reverie it’s ” hundreds of thousands of dollars” later or years on with a cable of corrupt cabinet ministers!


  25. I know that Sinckler had nothing to do with Hal Gollop’s bill! It is exactly for $1.5 million. That means that someone had to work out the pre-VAT amount to get that figure and we all know the minister is arithmetically challenged (according to Donville).


  26. @Ping Pong

    Now we knnow why the MoF was unable to honour his promise to pay income tax returns.

    They found the leak!


  27. @Dee Word

    Can’t disagree with you.


  28. On the more serious note, the BRA in this day an age should be accepting bank cards and discouraging cash payments. It would improve admin cost.

    Perhaps Ms. Sivers needs to step aside.

  29. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    Bushie

    It is alleged that she pulled some big tits out of the BRA. With thei same sex thing anybody could be caught with his/her hand in a BRA. LOL!

    Sent from my iPad


  30. Senator Irene got me confused with her comments on Sam Lords Castle in response to MAM’s charge in the debate. Chris’ argument for using precast concrete, the same thing.


  31. Perhaps Ms. Sivers needs to step aside
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Step aside…?
    Should be charged with incompetence and dereliction of duty…

    But from the VERY beginning, Bushie said….. steupsss …(why make Simple Simon cuss bushie again…?)
    🙂


  32. enuff

    Irene ain’t too smart. She trying to defend against Mia’s allegation and she end up basically confirming that DEM ain’t got no permission from TCPO.


  33. enuff

    Was Mia referring to Sam Lords Castle when she said she would bring the FBI, the CIA, RMPC, Scotland Yard and Interpol?

  34. Vincent Haynes Avatar
    Vincent Haynes

    Are we happy??
    Fees going up
    PRIVATE MEDICAL CARE in Barbados will increase from July 1.This is as a result of expected increased costs due to the hike in the National Social Responsibility…
    nationnews.com
    http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/97391/fees

    Vincent Haynes.An island dealing with prostate cancer….. if you cannot pay you will be placed on a 6 month waiting list which was cancelled recently for someone I know and set back another 3 months and then you hear….the patient could have been saved if they had come earlier….we love mekkin sport.
    …………………………………………………………..

    This is the real face of the budget…..not the 400 odd posts….not the yardfowl comments……….but the life or death issues of what this govt has achieved for the last 9 years……presently the polyclinics do not have most drugs.

  35. Retribution-things that make me go hum! Avatar
    Retribution-things that make me go hum!

    But we don’t have to put up with this shite though. Anywhere else in the world would have DEM dragging out of Bay Street. Look; it’s time we stop playing poor great (passive) and protest this Government away, if not; we are heading all things Venezuela.


  36. David,
    For those who have to pay and tax from overseas it is chaotic.


  37. @de pedantic Dribbler June 3, 2017 at 12:02 PM “How as part of that could a Speaker of the House of Assembly have such hubris to remain in his role after being so embarrassingly ridiculed by a Judge as basically being a thief and professional liar…and the PM embraces that behaviour warmly.”

    I don’t know about you youngsters, but when i was young and going barefoot to elementary school, the teacher used to write a sayins/proverb/parables on the blackboard everyday. One of the favourites was:

    “Birds of a feather flock together”

    Do you understand what that means/


  38. Not an idea @ SimpleSimon.

    Do you mean those ‘Birds’ of Antigua who fleeced like it was their bird’s nest ATM from that family dynasty that we call Antigua .

    Are you saying that we have Birds like that here in Bim too! That those big birds and little birds all flock together in the Swiss safety deposit rooms so safely perched away from prying eyes.

    Sorry, but I didn’t go school regularly, or barefoot for that matter, so these things fly over my head!

  39. angela Skeete Avatar

    Wunna can protest all wunna want it is not going to stop the International agencies from going after the monies which Barbados borrowed for lol so many years Think about that

  40. Carson C. Cadogan Avatar
    Carson C. Cadogan

    “The BLP political hacks are concerned about corruption. How does corruption work? Does it start when you win the government or are there warning signs before?

    We are told the government changing MP 2 is ‘corruption’ and ‘dishonesty’. But how? It is maintained and regulated by law and civil servants, not by the PM. The old car is traded in and upgraded on a regular schedule and the PM has NO CONTROL in the process. How then is that corrupt?”

  41. Armando Rodriguez Avatar
    Armando Rodriguez

    Like the 10% restoration of salaries the changing to a newer, bigger and more expensive Mercedes Benz is inconsiderate given the situation of the economy and the fact the DLP just taxed Bajans $542 MILLION DOLLARS.

  42. Carson C. Cadogan Avatar
    Carson C. Cadogan

    Lace Shorts for Men Spark Debate on Social Media

    This is what will happen if Bajans miss and put in the Barbados Labour Party.

  43. Armando Rodriguez Avatar
    Armando Rodriguez

    Carson

    Fear will not work in 2017/18.

  44. Armando Rodriguez Avatar
    Armando Rodriguez

    “The jockey is too heavy for the horse” according to the PM so what does he do……………..rush out and get a brand spanking new Mercedes Benz for $750,000.00 to be driven about in. Good to see the expense reduction has started at the TOP.


  45. When I call this the worst government in our post independence history some people have accused me of being rude. But look at events over the last few weeks: the minister of finance, it is alleged, wanted former prime minister Owen Arthur as an adviser; that was vetoed by the prime minister, who went on to ask the so-called Social Partnership to draft two reports with recommendations on the way forward for the economy.
    The minister of finance, in his Budget speech, poured scorn on them. In a culture of collective Cabinet responsibility, two senior ministers spoke out against the Budget and were not asked to resign, nor did they offer to resign, yet they claim they operate on the Westminster model.
    Now, a few days after the Budget speech, the prime minister is reviewing one of the key recommendations. This is government by guesswork; it is a mess.


  46. @Hal

    Do not be reluctant to use the E-Word.


  47. David,
    I must censor myself when it comes to this government. I feel embarrassed for them and I am not a member or supporter of any party..

  48. angela Skeete Avatar

    PM: BUY LOCAL

    GOVERNMENT is going to put all measures in place to ensure that Barbadians buy local, even if it means disciplining consumers.
    This was the declaration of Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, who set the record straight that the rationale behind the imposition of the two per cent commission on foreign exchange transactions is to garner support for Barbadian workers and businesses, rather than continuing to use Barbados’ foreign exchange to support manufacturers in other parts of the world.
    “Now, the framework within which all of that is being introduced is that where people’s inputs necessary have to come from abroad, account will be taken of that because you don’t want to frustrate people’s spirit of innovation [and] people’s spirit of entrepreneurship by making access to inputs burdensome,” Stuart said.
    Speaking to the media during a tour of the 2017 Barbados Manufacturers’ Exhibition (BMEX), at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, yesterday, Prime Minister Stuart said while there is often much talk across all sectors about the importance of earning foreign exchange, which he said is indeed necessary, too little time has been spent focusing on how to save foreign exchange.
    He explained that the two per cent imposition, which takes effect from July 1, as was announced by Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Christopher Sinckler, when he delivered the 2017 Financial Statements and Budgetary Proposals last Tuesday, is merely another way of disciplining the consumer in Barbados.
    “Nobody is going to stop anybody from importing, or using foreign exchange to support businesses overseas. All we are saying is if that is what you prefer to do, there is a little penalty that comes along with it.
    “It cannot be that Barbados’ future development will rest on the extent to which we support businesses elsewhere, rather than supporting our own here in Barbados,” he said.

    The Advocate


  49. @ angela Skeete
    GOVERNMENT is going to put all measures in place to ensure that Barbadians buy local,
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    …and the Mercedes was brought ‘local’ from Simpson motors right?


  50. @ Bushie,

    Your Prime Minister drives in a better car than the Canadian Prime Minister.

    Your tax dollars are well spent. lol

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