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Mini Budget Day in Barbados

To the observer of the Barbados space post 2018 General Election, there has been non stop activity generated by the newly installed government of Barbados since taking the reins. There is an air of expectancy about what the Prime Minister will convey to citizens. The unprecedented decision by the government to trigger a selective default…

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To the observer of the Barbados space post 2018 General Election, there has been non stop activity generated by the newly installed government of Barbados since taking the reins. There is an air of expectancy about what the Prime Minister will convey to citizens.

The unprecedented decision by the government to trigger a selective default has committed Barbadians to travel an uncharted path.

Many Barbadians although discomfited by the state of affairs that will for a long time prevent any reference to Barbados being a model country for others to emulate, appreciate that affirmative action must be taken.

The Barbados brand has received a huge dent!

 

 

 

298 responses to “Mini Budget Day in Barbados”

  1. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    “A better model will be to offer loans to every student who gains a place at university to be repaid on graduation and finding a graduate-type job.”

    Stupse.

  2. David Avatar
    David

    Who can answer this question?

    “Does anyone know if the Governments 15% VAT on the hotels’ invoices or the hotel room tax will be applicable
    to Sandals?”

  3. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    David BU

    Surely you’re being facetious…….hahahaha!!!

    But a very “pertinent question,” which the new Minister of Tourism & International Transport, Kerrie Symmonds, should answer.…….especially knowing that Sandals was “gifted” 40 years tax free concessions.

    If that hotel is exempted from these taxes, will that not create a situation of unfair competition in the sector?

    On a serious note, however……supposed government decides to enforce these taxes on Sandals, we may have a situation similar to that of Antigua.

  4. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Oh on the subject of tax write offs . in the name of honest goverance and transparency . The govt of the day must provide the taxpayers the names and amount of the individuals who would be beneficiaries to the treasury at the expense of the working stiff.

  5. Fractured BLP Avatar
    Fractured BLP

    Well following yesterday’s Budget presentation thousands of Barbadians were wondering where is John King 👑!

    It was only during today’s lunch break at Parliament that John King 👑 surfaced as Minister John King 👑!

    He began singing one of his hit songs of yesteryear !

    TIGHTEN YUH BELTS

    ” Tighten yuh belt I say !

    Tighten um from today !

    Because as of midnight TONIGHT !

    Mia TAXES gine mek yuh $HITE ”

    Thank you John for that stark reminder !

    It’s
    Mia
    Fault

    IMF IMF IMF IMF wuh after all is Madam PM who called the IMF !!

  6. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    Mariposa
    The Tax Tribunal would do that. After saying Mia can’t delivervon her promises, what other red herrings you have? Watch we!

  7. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Deliver on more taxes for the masses to pay for the delivery.
    Just watch the IMF

  8. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    According to Selma the weather presenter at CBCTV Sunrise tomorrow is at 5.32.This morning it was at 5.31 which means that the sun is on its return to the Winter Solstice which suggests the Christmas Season begins tomorrow, in sync with the heavenly bodies.Some will say the Season of Goodwill was ushered in on May 24th when Barbados kicked the DLP to the curb hopefully for ever and aye.Never again must those riff raff ever enter parliament to represent Barbados.Chopsutters all

  9. NorthernObserver Avatar
    NorthernObserver

    On Sandals…No
    Sandals do not rent/lease rooms, they sell all-inclusive vacation packages. If you must break out the value of the “room ” per day, use $1.
    @ac
    I agree, any delinquent taxes owing pre 2000 and excused, names and amounts must be made public. It’s the cost of having the taxes “excused”. Both individuals and corporations.

  10. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Required reading. First 6 pages of BarbadosToday.

  11. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    @Gabriel June 12, 2018 8:49 AM “Mia’s severe castration of the DLP”

    Mia did not castrate the DLP.

    The PEOPLE castrated the DLP.

  12. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    The government COULD reconsider the cad $91 they are adding to the cad $35 departure tax.

    Paying a defacto cad $126 departure tax seems excessive especially if I just drove through Hastings on the way to the Airport.

  13. David Avatar
    David

    @Hants

    The plan is to fix the South Coast problem right?

  14. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    But a 70$ departure tax per individual WTF i meaning did any of those budget heads sitting around the table did any research to see airline cost to visit barbados per household
    MIA made big ticket political promises somebody must pay for them and any traveller coming to barbados going to shake their head and say Hell No
    American airline baggage cost added to that departure tax and no visitor in their right mind would want to engage their pocket books to such a bitter experience

  15. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    Tourist traffic is choice, once or twice a year traffic, therefore the additional costs will not deter pleasure seekers from travelling to Barbados.Most are just interested in the quoted price,couldn’t care less on how the pie is divided up.The DLP Fatted Calf died on May 24th and it is so bitter a pill to swallow that the wake will go on and on until it is recognized that nobody is paying its nipple suckers any attention.After all,it is a category 5 experience to be so ignominiously sowed 30-0.What a deserving legacy to a foolish arrogant JA for a human being.

  16. Well, Well Avatar
    Well, Well

    lol….then don’t drive through Hastings on your way to the airport, take the highway, or the back roads through St. George.

    recalibrate a map just for the tourists.

    ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

    “I agree, any delinquent taxes owing pre 2000 and excused, names and amounts must be made public. It’s the cost of having the taxes “excused”. Both individuals and corporations.”

    All the genius ideas are only now surfacing from the mentally deranged ac, why were these genius ideas not implemented in the 10 years previous to 24th May…by the exgovernment.

    Those owing taxes from 1968 should be listed and exposed in media, that would send a message to tax cheats who love free taxpayer funded contracts…

  17. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    @Anne June 12, 2018 3:47 PM ” This [water and sanitation] tax which I have to pay is more than my present water bill.”

    Same here.

    In April I paid $44.97 for water. In May I paid $41.37, so the $1.50 per day [water/sanitation tax] will more than double my “water” bill.

    In addition I have for years sorted all of my waste at source, ie. in my kitchen, and have taken all of my metal, plastic and glass to a recycling center, so I dispose of little waste through the Sanitation Service Authority.

    When a pet of our household dies, or if a stray pet dies in front of my yard, I have always hauled out my garden fork and immediately buried the corpse, so “no” I am not one of those nasty people who put dead pets out with my household waste.

    Oh well…

  18. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    @Well, Well June 13, 2018 8:58 AM “Those owing taxes from 1968…”

    I expect that some of the 1968ers are dead, dead, dead. And the thing about dead people is that dead people have no shame…so “exposing” them does just what?

    lolll!!!

  19. millertheanunnaki Avatar
    millertheanunnaki

    @ Mariposa June 13, 2018 5:09 AM
    “MIA made big ticket political promises somebody must pay for them and any traveller coming to barbados going to shake their head and say Hell No
    American airline baggage cost added to that departure tax and no visitor in their right mind would want to engage their pocket books to such a bitter experience

    Why not look also on the ‘Bright’ side of your doom and gloom serving of scary criticism of a proposal which has not yet been implemented?

    Have you now traded places with the old BU guard once called the prophets of doom and gloom?
    As a true patriot (as you “ac”’ like to claim you are why can’t you continue to support the ‘Government’ in its quest to rescue Barbados as it has been trying to do for the past 10 years?

    At least there would be NO shit and raw sewage floating on the streets as the ‘same travelers to Barbados’ had to put up with for the past 2 years.

    So what would it be, Ms Many Pussy?

    Shit floating on the streets including those of Bridgetown to invite an outbreak of cholera or lying easy on the sunny beach but having to pay a wee more instead of going to the massively more expensive tanning salons back home?

    Did the shit flowing on the streets and floating on the sea keep away those “visitors in their right mind[s]” to support the record level of visitor arrivals as constantly boasted by the now disgraced discredited and destroyed former minister of tourism whose love of spitting in the face of Statistical decency was unsurpassed only by his equally discredited and completely silenced colleague the former lying minister of finance Stinkliar Pinocchio?

  20. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Exposing them dead or alive might give others a second thought although by forgiving the debt it has sent a message that barbados is not serious about collecting revenue from the Private sector
    In anerica dead or alive taxes will be collected as those over due taxes are passed on to the deceased estate and the beneficiares of the estate cannot have ownership until those taxes are paid in full

  21. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Miller no shit flowing in the street
    However tourist and locals alike would be shiting in their underwear evertime they open their pocket books to pay such a repressive tax

  22. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @ David,

    I sincerely hope the ” cad $90 tax ( to fix the South Coast problem )” does not reduce the number of tourist from Canada.

    It will NOT stop CanBajans from returning because we have family and friends in Barbados.

    The concept of taxing tourists to fix sewers is difficult to ” sell “.

    While we all must support the Government’s effort to save Barbados from drowning we must not hold back our opinions.

  23. David Avatar
    David

    @Hants

    There is no pain free way to do it. The approach is to widen the tax base and share the load. The government will have to monitor and tweak as necessary based on response. We are in a deep hole, the last ten years to the last government did nothing to improve the situation. We will have to see what phase two brings, likely more pain.

  24. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    Simple Simon,

    Tax liabilities do not die, they are inherited.

  25. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Barbadians and Tourist alike did not have to endure this experience of aggressive pain.
    Barbadians have two entities which were a financial burden to taxpayers .The opposition threw a stink at selling them both.
    Now as new govt rather than pursuing a path towards renegotiation that might have borne fruit enough to lessen the pain Mia had in store for the nation.She closed that door and barrelled forward towards a path of miscalculations and appeasment to give political favours and empty promises
    Now all must pay

  26. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @ David,

    On the positive side the rich tourist that Barbados targets will be happy to the extra US$ 70.

    The ” T-Shirt / low budget tourist ” will likely go to other destinations.

    Maybe you could ask Sandals to give up their ” tax concessions for the next 3 years “.

  27. David Avatar
    David

    @Hants

    This is where the rubber hits the road. Years of doing nothing has brought us here. Time to do something, yes the medicine will be bitter. We have to adjust lifestyles and wheel and come again.

  28. Well, Well Avatar
    Well, Well

    lol..Simple, point taken…but their children and grandchildren still own and operate those businesses with their names registered as CEOs, Directors etc and everything….expose them, they are representative of the companies etc who still owe taxes…

  29. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    Hants,

    The majority of our tourists are from the UK and the wealthy Brits are the babyboomers. Tell me, is our so-called tourism product suitable for UK babyboomers?

  30. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    @ Gabriel

    Unfortunately as it relates to this roughly 10 to 20 percent increase on travel YOU ARE WRONG

    Here is the pernicious thing about this $95 million pernicious tax which was implemented 2 weeks after the BLP assumes office.

    IT does NOT go to the coffers of an existing government agency.

    IT IS part of a pre designed Sweetheart Deal with a former public sector controlled now private sector run entity.

    ONE WHICH THE AVERAGE BAJAN DOES NOT KNOW WHO IS TO BENEFIT FROM THE SOON TO BE PRIVATELY MANAGED BTMI AND THE NEXT ONE THAT DE OLE MAN CAN’T REMEMBER ITS NAME

    But, in my effort to apprised you of this cutting up of the fattest calf EVEN BEFORE THE FATTED CALF IS BROUGHT TO THE TABLE LET ME GIVE YOU THE WORDS OF MADAMOISELLE PRIME MINISTER MOTTLEY

    She says and I quote “…It is our contention that given the MATURITY of Barbados’ Tourism sector, the BTMI and BTPI are ready to transition into a public private partnership. ..”

    Now it is interesting where thst characteristic of “maturity” is said to reside. It is not within either agency but in Barbados’ tourism sector euphemism for **

    The real names of the Usual Suspects with whom The FATTED COW deal was made PRIOR TO THIS GOVERNMENT ASSUMING OFFICE will be soon disclosed that is if the names of the suspects see the light of day under the veil of corporate secrecy yet to be exposed heheheheh – an oxymoron to be sure.

    But here are the most telling words of this Faustian deed.

    Madamoiselle Prime Minister Mottley continues…

    “…The Government of Barbados will accordingly REVIEW the Governance arrangements so as to ensure a transfer of lead responsibility to the private sector for the ownership and management of these entities…”

    “…SO AS TO TRANSFER…” proceeded by the words review, all juxtaposed against the carving out of a $95 million chunk for a private sector management team whose already agreed names are yet to be declared to Bajans

    And some uh we bajans think that we are smart and certajn of our elected leaders think we are smarter…

  31. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    @ the Honourable Blogmaster your assistance please with an item here…

  32. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    @Mariposa June 13, 2018 9:38 AM “Exposing them dead or alive…barbados is not serious about collecting revenue from the Private sector.”

    So the DLP had ten years to expose “them” dead or alive. They had ten years during which they like the Americans [and I know for sure that American tax enforcers have the right to bear arms, while Barbados’ tax enforcers have no such right] could have done proper enforcement. Why did they then not expose and enforce?

  33. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Yes i say expose them
    Mia promised Transparency and since it is money owed to the Treasury. The public has every right to know who got a slice of the pie

  34. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    Piece
    I am reading you loud and clear.We await further and more puhtikuhlers.Remember we had the Barbados Publicity Committee a private sector precursor to the Barbados Board of Tourism.Between those entities Barbados grew by leaps and bounds.We will be watching.

  35. millertheanunnaki Avatar
    millertheanunnaki

    @ Mariposa June 13, 2018 12:12 PM
    “Yes i say expose them
    Mia promised Transparency and since it is money owed to the Treasury. The public has every right to know who got a slice of the pie..”

    Now that you are in that ‘expose Dem’ frame of mind would you be prepared to support the miller in his call on the Mottley administration to put its political power where its big electioneering mouth used to be and make sure all the necessary taxes have been paid by those who benefited from the rip-off of the CLICO policyholders.

    Will you insist that PM Mottley assures the poor taxpayers who are expected to help carry the dirty end of the fiscal stick and voted overwhelmingly for her administration that Greenverbs Parris has already made things right with the Treasury in respect of that $3.3 million heist way back in 2008?

    You must also insist that similar adherence to the Income Tax laws has been done by the David Thompson estate if you are to satisfy the cravingly enquiring mind of one Hal Austin.

    Will you also be calling on the same bee in your bonnet now called PM Mottley to ensure that similar tax investigation and treatment be applied to the millions received in legal fees over the past 10 years and paid out of the same taxpayers’ hard-earned money to qualified crooks (QC’s) like Hal G., Michael Y., Richard B. and another connected with the Cahill scam exposed today in the HoA?

    Unless PM Mottley can assure herself and her Cabinet of financial whippersnappers that the tax affairs of those who benefited from the DLP fatted calf are in keeping with the revenue laws of Barbados then her patriotic calls on ordinary citizens to put their financial hands to the national plough to secure the country’s economic survival would just be a blast of hot air from another member of the corrupt political class whose motto is:
    “All for One and One for All” in the big old game of ‘It’s now our turn at the ‘Animal Farm’ pig feed trough filled by the suckers called the easily-fooled taxpayers’.

  36. Fractured BLP Avatar
    Fractured BLP

    David

    Re : your June 13, 2018 posting at 12:58 p.m

    Wouldn’t you agree that after 20 days of BLP government that the Dems were BETTER ?

    After all :

    • There was no pending IMF talks – it’s Madam PM who called the IMF !

    • There was garbage tax – it’s Madam PM who imposed it !

    • There was no 40 cents per liter gas tax – it’s Madam PM who imposed it !

    • There was no draconian airport departure tax – it’s Madam PM who imposed it !

    And we can go on and on ……

    Madam PM has inflicted untold PAIN on Barbadians !!!

    Oh loss !!! We can’t tek no more !!!

  37. Fractured BLP Avatar
    Fractured BLP

    It is impossible to ask some commenters this be non partisan. Yes support your party but use reasoned arguments.

    David of BU

    June 13 , 2018 @ 12:58 p.m

  38. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Ok miller fair being fair. Why not included in all these investigations whose political actions in the blp. govt gave the authority for Mia Dad to receive over i million dollars of taxpayers monies
    In any case in reference to those tax cheats all knows beyond any shadow of doubt that Mia made the political call for millions of dollars to be write off to the Private Sector without full transparency

  39. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    FBLP that is a hard question for David to answer . Anyhow come July 1 he will get the answer

  40. millertheanunnaki Avatar
    millertheanunnaki

    @ Fractured BLP June 13, 2018 2:17 PM

    But there was your Lord King Freundel Jerome Stuart ruling over his kingdom called Blighted Barbados!

    Now where has your King gone?

    It is rumoured ‘he’, the defeated, decimated and dejected court clown pretending to be of the royal House of the blackened Stuart left Ilaro Court in the dead of night with only his friend in failure Shallow Hal in assistance headed back to where he belongs in the republic of Sinfarlip.

    Didn’t the people of St. Michael South, by their vote of confidence in Prince Humphrey, strip the ugly jackass and removed the vestiges of arrogance and hubris which formerly clothed your pretender King Stuart to expose a naked common emperor of deceit, lies and pompousness who met his majestic waterloo on that memorable day of 24th May 2018?

    A date which must go down not only in infamy but also as a ‘unique date’ in Bajan history for not only producing the first female Prime Minister but also by recording the death of the political party which was once considered as the party for the dear loving people of Barbados but through the actions of a band of deceivers, liars, crooks and corrupt and certified incompetents now seen as a pariah on its death bed.

    But that Lazarus-type party- although currently stricken with the pox of electoral decimation- is far bigger than its current totally discredited managers and like the legendary phoenix can rise from the electoral ashes interred on George Street and with ‘different’ blood of youth and intellect can be ‘born again’ in the political vaginal sheath and ‘genetic’ spirit of its founding fathers.

  41. Fractured BLP Avatar
    Fractured BLP

    Mariposa

    Leh he lone !

    David ain’t got no DLP to rant on now !

    Madam PM have all the cards in her hand so she no excuse to not deliver on her outlandish promises !

    To whom much is given…..

    Much is expected !

  42. Fractured BLP Avatar
    Fractured BLP

    she has no excuse

  43. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    FBLP HEE HEE
    Yuh got that right. David are u listening
    Mia has unleashed a sh.it load of doom and gloom on the country

  44. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    FBLP Mia first two weeks in office is becoming a comedy show called Mia Way
    First she default on country debt
    Next give away millions of the public Purse
    Next unleashed a triple dose of poision
    As if all that put together was not enough
    Run away the tourist
    Now how is that for good goverance as a promise to put money in the people pockets

  45. Well, Well Avatar
    Well, Well

    The exyardfowls are just being pests …they have no answers to why the exgovernment did not pursue, expose and recover the people’s billions of tax dollars from the crooks in the private sector since 1968….and particularly during the exiled governments just recently terminated ten year tenure..

    they not only refused to expose these minority tax cheats, they turned around and gave them billions more in the same taxpayers contracts for coverley, valery, and pension fund scams …and was about to give away even more in the Cahill scams, the Hyatt scams, they gave away tax concessions for imported cars just days before the last election, tiefing from taxpayers up to the end of the very last days before being kicked out for good…

    None of them should see the inside of that parliament again.

  46. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    Has the NIS invested in any business that was knowingly at the time delinquent with its taxes?

  47. Peggy A. Green Avatar
    Peggy A. Green

    @ Anne and others.

    PLEEZE, FUHGETTA BOUT IT. – Charging members of the past Government!!

    U do remember the 1976 Duffus Commission of Inquiry? when “D infelicities of the past Administration ”
    were to be looked into with a view to sending some people on a staycation at HM Glendairy.(No beachfront property)
    What happened besides more money down the drain?

    Know what was one of the saddest but not unexpected things that evolved?

    Our Father of Independence, was like Jesus, denied. trice. Yep, one of the witnesses was asked by a Lawyer “Do you know Errol Walton Barrow?” After the first denial he rephrased the question, Again after the second and third.

    Three times the witness said no.
    ,
    The lawyer became frustrated and shouted, while slamming his fist on the mahogany table.
    “Jesus Christ man, I din ask you if you participated at the birth!!!

    The witness was no stranger to the Hon, EWB.

    $$$$$$$$$$
    Airport tax (notice it was in US$? Yes, we too dumb to convert to BDS$). Reminds me of the time we the
    masses PAID at the Airport on returning to Barbados, Eons later a Minister on the radio claimed it was news to him. I doubt he was lying. Naturally, he by passed all that each time he came home.

    AND MORE $$$$$ -Garbage Removal.

    $1.50 a day? $45.00 a month? What is the average, clear thinking public spirited, educated, environment conscious person with less than 2 bags (small from supermarket) being charged for?. Ridiculous, inhumane and an injustice. Is there a book with duplicate pages being made by the Govt. Printery for us in which we list the number of bags of garbage and discarded items ? So far this week I had one bag,

    Would the Garbage truck workers sign to confirm what amount of garbage was picked up? What happens when the house is unoccupied for any length of time? Will we pay up front and later present the travel document substantiating the non-occupancy.? Will that money then be returned?

    What fee for those who do not live in Barbados and use their house for as little a three month a year?  Do they pay daily? Full amount?  Will it be pro-rated????

    These are some of the questions I have been asked and also want answered.

    I beg to suggest that these decisions be revisited,
    . Whose ideas? My foreign currency visitor said ” Clearly a HATER of Barbadians and all non Barbadian residents”.

  48. Peggy A. Green Avatar
    Peggy A. Green

    Mini Budget
    oops. Aged brain cell drop out.

    This fee is only for those days when/if garbage is collected?
    What happens the week there is no collection?

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