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Showing posts with label value-added tax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label value-added tax. Show all posts

Monday, September 15, 2014

The need for a properly-structured Value-Added Tax (VAT) education programme in The Bahamas

'Confusion' Between Vat Law, Guidance Must Be Eliminated



By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
Nassau, The Bahamas


A Tax Coalition co-chair has called for apparent differences between the Value-Added Tax (VAT) legislation and ‘guidance notes’ to be “resolved”, agreeing that there was “confusion between the two”.

Robert Myers told Tribune Business there were numerous “loose ends” remaining in relation to VAT, and that he had called for another meeting of the joint government-private sector advisory committee to tackle concerns that had been “batted back and forth”.

Agreeing that implementation was unlikely to be seamless because the Government was trying to “fast track” the process, Mr Myers said his call for the Christie administration to stop throwing VAT “information hand grenades” had been validated by last week’s events.

John Rolle, the Ministry of Finance’s financial secretary, caused temporary turmoil in Freeport’s business community when he inadvertently suggested 7.5 per cent VAT would be levied on the city’s ‘bonded goods’ regime - a mistake later retracted and corrected.

Mr Myers, though, said this proved the need for a properly-structured VAT education programme, otherwise the risk remained that mistakes and misunderstandings might cause “widespread panic”.

One area that needs to be tightened is ensuring the Ministry of Finance’s VAT ‘guidance notes’ conform with what is in the legislation and regulations.

The Government has already had to issue one clarification here in relation to pre-existing contracts, confirming that the VAT Act requires that the service/goods recipient at all times will pay the tax - not the provider/vendor.

Yet the VAT ‘guidance notes’ appeared to take the opposite position on pre-existing business and commercial rental contracts, stating that if no agreement could be reached with the recipient/tenant to pay the tax post-January 1, the vendor/landlord would have to ‘eat’ it as the Government would assume the tax is contained in the contract sum.

“That’s an area we’re going to have to go through,” Mr Myers told Tribune Business of potential discrepancies between the VAT legislation/regulations and ‘guidance notes’.

“There clearly is a gap. There clearly is some confusion between the two. We need to get that resolved. There’s a lot of loose ends.”

The Coalition for Responsible Taxation co-chairman, meanwhile, said last week’s mistakes in Freeport had “validated” his call for a structured VAT education process.

“It only strengthens what I said, which is that we’ve got to get a process for doing this, and get these training modules out so people are clear,” he told Tribune Business.

“You can see there’s a definite need to calm the process when high ranking officials don’t get it right, and get something that’s digestible for the public and private sector. We don’t want to create widespread panic. It’s got to be a calm process.

“If that means slowing it down to get it right, let’s do so. Let’s make sure what we do is done in a calm, responsible and deliberate way. We need to do it in a responsible, deliberate and calm fashion. It’s important that everyone understands, is comfortable and no one is panicked.”

Mr Myers said he was now pushing the Government to hold a second meeting of the joint private-public sector VAT advisory committee, adding: “I’m hoping to pull that off, because we need to hit them [the Government] with a list and get some answers on stuff that’s kind of been batted back and forth.”

He conceded, though, that VAT implementation on January 1 was likely to be far from smooth given the haste with which the Government was seeking to move on tax reform.

Mr Myers said New Zealand, whose experience the Bahamas’ has drawn on a great deal, used a 14-18 month gap between their VAT legislation’s public release and implementation to iron out any problems.

The Bahamas, by contrast, was attempting to do the same in less than six months, though the Government would argue that the initial draft’s November 2013 release has given everyone 13-14 months to prepare.

“It’s going to be a bit of a mess because we’re trying to fast track the process,” Mr Myers told Tribune Business. “We’re trying to do it in how many months? You can’t expect to have a seamless process when you’re trying to fast track something like this.

“There’s going to be issues. The more we can get ahead of it and cut off confusion by vetting documents, and only then get them out to the private sector, you will have a lot less noise.”

He added: “Clearly there’s a lot of confusion at this point, and it’s not going to stop as long as we don’t follow the process. We’ve got to be responsible in the way we do that.

“First vet the legislation, regulations and guidance notes, clear as much of the confusion up as possible, then get thye education platform launched and get support teams out there, hitting each of the sectors.

Mr Myers suggested that the education process start with the Bahamas’ largest businesses, who were expected to be the biggest VAT collectors, “and then work down from there”.

He conceded that the VAT education process was “still very erratic” and “a bit disjointed in my humble opinion. I expect that to clear up; I hope it clears up significantly over the next couple of weeks or months”.

He warned that the Bahamas, both the Government and private sector, “can’t afford” for VAT education to fail because it would automatically mean reduced compliance. And less compliance will result in an increased VAT rate, and new and increased taxes elsewhere.

September 15, 2014

Friday, August 1, 2014

Do we really need value-added tax (VAT) in The Bahamas

Do we really need VAT?

For most persons in the Bahamas, the talk of value-added tax (VAT) has been more of a nightmare than a pleasant discussion. Questions continue to surface because there is a distrust of the proponents for VAT. Do we really need VAT? Can we not implement another process which addresses the need for revenue generation without imposing a VAT? What about curbing expenditure and taking meaningful steps to assure the electorate that expense reduction is a part of the tax reform being touted.

Having done a study on the taxation system of the Cayman Islands, I am able to say that the indirect taxation model that is employed both here in The Bahamas and in the Cayman Islands has been working and is workable for the future. With this premise, in order to effectively eradicate deficit spending, we need revenue but we also need expense reduction. Expense reduction is the part of the equation that many seem to forget and/or wish to ignore. Revenue generation and the search to find ways to increase this part of the equation is not sufficient if we are going to address our financial challenges as a country. If it is that we have a revenue generation problem then finding creative but sustainable ways of generating revenue is the first step to the solution.

To assume that international agencies are the only solution providers when it comes to running the finances of our country is nonsensical at best and depressing at worst. Moreover, having seen the decline of the Jamaican economy over a period of 30 years with all of the involvement of the international agencies suggests to me that the solution for fixing our country’s problems cannot come from the outside but must come from within. After all, it is us who will bear the brunt of the financial realities. Moreover, it is my generation and the generation after me who will suffer from any adverse consequences with respect to VAT.

We must be adamant in ensuring that we do not idly allow this to be forced on us because some external groups says so. The Turks and Caicos Islands rejected VAT. The Cayman Islands does not have VAT. Why must the Bahamas adopt VAT? We can do better than that.

When I did my master’s degree in finance and studied taxation models, I realized very quickly that the indirect taxation model that we employ can work, contrary to what many would have us to believe. The fact is that Bahamians do not want VAT. Let’s just stop pretending that it is ok. From the feedback that is in the public domain, there is a dominant view that VAT is being forced upon Bahamians.

Let’s be more serious and efficient in collecting the taxes that we now have outstanding before looking at adding more. How many businesses are in arrears that should pay? This has to happen. Why should the masses be penalized because of the few? It is unfair to the majority of the Bahamian people to be saddled with VAT when there are workable alternatives which technocrats refuse to review or accept because of the international agenda being driven by them. The sovereignty of the Bahamas is at stake when the few impose their views on the many with far reaching detrimental effects.

If all Bahamians were to be honest when coming through Customs and paid their duties so that as a young sovereign nation we could have revenue to take care of our expenses, then we would probably not be at this point, watching VAT debated in parliament. While the government needs to do its part in collecting taxes, we as citizens have a responsibility to do our part and be honest and pay our fair share in order to build better schools, roads, parks and hospitals.

If 200,000 Bahamians travel to Florida or anywhere overseas annually and currently enjoy $600 in duty exemption, I am sure they would give this up to contribute an additional $120 million in revenue to the government. Further, if we looked at our work permit system as a source of revenue generation, which would also allow for an increase in foreign workers similar to Cayman, Bermuda or the British Virgin Islands, the potential for substantial annual revenues would be tremendous and the spin-offs in spending in the community would be beneficial to Bahamians. What percentage increase at the port could the Bahamian population afford that would provide the revenue needed while eliminating the call for VAT?

Sustainability is a key component and so this brings me to expenditure control. There has to be a reduction policy on expenditure in the public sector if we are going to be serious about eliminating our deficit. The Bahamas needs to have balanced budgets and we need to move in the direction of having surpluses. Is this doable?

The same level of aggressiveness with revenue generation must be exercised on expense reduction. It is no longer OK to do what is politically expedient or what is internationally directed when there are realistic alternatives to implementing VAT. Have we commissioned our economics professors at the College of the Bahamas to do a study that would support us using an alternative? If we believe in Bahamians we must start listening to what the Bahamian people are saying. Do not assume for one minute that they are stupid. With the addition of VAT there will be a need to add government services. What is the cost associated with this and doesn’t that add to the deficit? Could this expenditure cost an additional $30 to $40 million in Social Services costs?

VAT will add to the cost of living and this is a fact. Wouldn’t an alternative plan that has a lesser effect on cost of living be better for all of us?

Who will listen to the ordinary Bahamian? I know we all like the pie in the sky talk so when one hears of oil exploration in the Bahamas or the potential for salt production in Long Island or an increase in aragonite production for revenue, that too sounds good. Truth be told, if it were that easy it would have been done a long time ago. I think the sobering reality is that we must start with proper studies being done by Bahamians which include and take into account what the majority of Bahamians want. If it is that they want VAT, then VAT it shall be. As for me, I can say I don’t support it nor do I accept that it is the only logical way forward.

• John Carey served as a member of Parliament from 2002-2007 and can be reached at: johngfcarey@hotmail.com.

August 01, 2014

thenassauguardian

Monday, July 14, 2014

...it is the wrong time to propose implementing value-added tax (VAT) in The Bahamas ...as he it would likely spawn more social ills ...if the Bahamian economy doesn’t improve in the coming months ...says Bahamas Christian Council (BCC)

Patterson: VAT may increase suffering

Christian Council head says economy too fragile for new tax


BY KRYSTEL ROLLE-BROWN
Guardian Staff Reporter
krystel@nasguard.com
Nassau, The Bahamas


With less than six months before the introduction of value-added tax (VAT), Bahamas Christian Council (BCC) President Dr. Ranford Patterson warned that it is the wrong time to propose implementing the new tax, as he believes it would likely spawn more social ills if the economy doesn’t improve in the coming months.

Patterson said while the BCC generally supports the government’s efforts toward tax reform, the timing of its introduction could cause more problems.

Patterson said he also has some reservations about the rate of the tax.

“No government can operate without tax reform,” he said. “But I believe this is a [bad] time to pose any new tax on the Bahamian people. But we understand that there is a need to tax reform.

“I believe that the lower income people in our country are going to suffer even more as a result of the implementation of VAT. I think there needs to be a balance of the time and the rate. Everything needs to be at the right time.

“I don’t think we are at the right time. There are too many people who are out of a job. There are too many people who don’t have the basic necessities.”

Asked if he believes that January would be better, he said, “If the economy remains the way it is, then the answer is no”.

“I think we’ll see more social ills. Things will get much worse if the economy doesn’t change soon.”

The government intends to bring the VAT legislation to the House of Assembly before the end of this month, Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis confirmed earlier this week.

He said the education campaign will pick up in earnest following the tabling of that bill. He also suggested that the education process will help ease some of the fear that the new tax has caused.

But Patterson said he isn’t sure about that.

“Everybody is weary of it,” he said.

“Everybody is afraid of the fact that what I can buy for a dollar today, it won’t be valued for a dollar tomorrow. That’s a challenge.”

He said the government must “be careful how we implement these taxes and when we implement them”.

Prime Minister Perry Christie recently expressed confidence that the economy would improve over the next six months.

He told reporters earlier this month that he is “excited” about the country’s future prospects.

July 12, 2014

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Monday, February 24, 2014

The Barbados value-added tax (VAT) experience debated in The Bahamas

Govt urged to learn from Barbados on VAT


By TANEKA THOMPSON
Guardian Senior Reporter
taneka@nasguard.com
Nassau, The Bahamas


Days after Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados Dr. Delisle Worrell said value-added tax (VAT) has hurt that island’s tourism industry, Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Darron Cash said the criticism should give The Bahamas government another reason to delay VAT’s introduction.

Last week, Worrell told The Nassau Guardian that he has seen “declining enthusiasm” for VAT in Barbados, adding that the tax is “anti-tourism”.

Worrell also said Barbados’ VAT system is a “mess”.

“The recent comments from the governor of the Central Bank of Barbados provide a great example of good advice from a credible source,” Cash said.

“Dr. Delisle Worrell’s statements that in his country VAT has emerged as the anti-tourism tax should give the Christie government reason to stop, review and cancel their July 1 VAT implementation date.

“If the prime minister and his dutiful junior minister (Michael Halkitis) were listening they would have already come to the conclusion that there is an overwhelming strong public view that this administration has not thought [out] its proposed VAT program sufficiently.”

When asked for his take on Worrell’s criticism, Halkitis said several Barbadian government officials see the tax as beneficial.

“For example, I had the opportunity to speak with the Minister of Finance of Barbados Christopher Sinckler at a meeting in Trinidad last week,” Halkitis said.

“He is of the opinion that it is a suitable tax, but that we should be extra vigilant in collections and not allow arrears to build up from businesses that do not pay. Otherwise, he felt that the tax has served them well.

“Former Prime Minister of Barbados and Minister of Finance Owen Arthur is also a supporter of VAT as a tax.”

Halkitis stressed that the government has reviewed a number of studies that estimate VAT’s impact on economic growth.

He said these studies forecast greater productivity and growth if the government moves away from a system of high customs duties and toward a broad-based consumption tax such as VAT.

“Another warning we have received is to avoid a system that has too many different rates and exemptions,” Halkitis said.

“This leads to greater administration costs and could possibly lead to the mess Dr. Worrell is referring to,” he said.

Halkitis said The Bahamas can “avoid the mistakes made by earlier adopters” of VAT.

He said the government’s main concern is that delayed action in getting its fiscal house in order would have a negative impact on the economy.

During an interview with The Nassau Guardian, Worrell said his views on the tax are “very radical”.

“I think VAT is an inappropriate tax for a tourism-based economy,” he said.

“The rationale for VAT is that it is an export promoting tax, because if you are exporting physical goods (VAT is not charged on) those goods, but the producers are able to claim refunds/rebates on their inputs.

“ . . .So there’s a bias in the VAT in favor of export industries; that is if you are exporting physical things that are consumed outside, but not if you are exporting tourism, because the tourists come to you to consume.

“So VAT is an anti-tourism tax if you are a tourism producer because it makes your tourism more expensive than the people who don’t charge VAT, and that’s why all tourism countries who apply VAT have to apply it at a lower rate. A simple sales tax would be much better.”

February 24, 2014

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Thursday, January 30, 2014

The unpopular value-added tax (VAT) proposal in The Bahamas

The view of the people on VAT


The Nassau Guardian Editorial
Nassau, The Bahamas


Since the government last year emphasized its commitment to implement a value-added tax (VAT) the Bahamian people have been offering opinions.  While many accept that the government needs more revenue to meet its obligations, we think most Bahamians do not support VAT as it has been proposed.

The government issued its white paper on VAT in February 2013.  For months now commentators from the business community have offered their views on VAT to the broadcast and print media.  There is a VAT story in the business sections of the major papers almost daily.  Talk radio also regularly takes up the subject with Bahamians calling in to give their views.

For these reasons it was strange to read on Monday in this newspaper that Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis said the public’s slow response to the government’s VAT white paper is responsible in part for their delay in tabling VAT legislation.  Although he could not say exactly when the government will table the laws in Parliament, Halkitis did say it must happen before the end of February in preparation for the implementation of the new tax system on July 1.

The business community last year went as far as preparing a counterproposal on tax reform the government does not appear interested in seriously considering.  The people have spoken and they continue to speak on VAT.  They regularly point out the flaws in the proposed system.  They regularly point out the burdens it will cause on businesses and consumers.  They fear an increase in the cost of living at a time when unemployment is over 16 percent.

Halkitis said the government is listening and considering all concerns coming from every sector on VAT and that the Ministry of Finance has even “tweaked” some of its VAT proposals.  He didn’t, however, provide specifics as to what has been tweaked.

“When we say we are doing consultations and we are listening to alternatives we mean that,” Halkitis said.

“When we find out something or someone brings something to our attention that we may not have considered for whatever reasons, then we have to look at that to make sure that we are not disadvantaging anyone, particularly any business group.

“We have to look at what the consumers are saying to make sure there is nothing we overlooked, and so it is all a process.”

The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) seems married to its VAT proposal regardless of the likely harmful consequences it will have on our economy if implemented.  And now, after bringing forward a poor idea, the PLP seems to be beginning to realize that its solution to the country’s debt problem is not popular.  If that realization is delaying the VAT laws from being presented to Parliament the government should not blame the people.  It is obvious who is to blame.

January 29, 2014

thenassauguardian editorial

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Pauline Peters, former head of Grenada’s inland revenue department ...on the challenge to implement value-added tax (VAT) in less than six months in The Bahamas

Bahamas would set VAT precedent

VAT consultant says ‘challenge’ to implement VAT in less than six months with no existing system


By ALISON LOWE
Guardian Business Editor
alison@nasguard.com
Nassau, The Bahamas


Should the government push ahead with plans to implement value-added tax (VAT) on July 1, The Bahamas would set a precedent as the only country in the Caribbean with no already existing domestic tax system to implement the tax with less than six months between the passage of the legislation and the tax taking effect, according to a government VAT consultant.

Pauline Peters, former head of Grenada’s inland revenue department, who oversaw that country’s transition to a VAT system, yesterday described this reality as likely to pose a “challenge”.

“There are a few countries who have done it with less than six months to go between the passage of the legislation and the tax taking effect. St. Kitts did it, St. Lucia, Dominica... but the difference in those countries is that they had a system of indirect tax already, so the culture of paying taxes was already there.

“With the businesses and the changeover they’d have to make with the move over from a sales tax to VAT, it would’ve taken a bit because their systems would have to change, but there were persons with knowledge of taxation; what those countries did was draw from their current domestic tax system, so you have a good blend of people with knowledge of the tax system.

“Without having a domestic tax system in place already, I think that’s one of the major differences between The Bahamas and the other countries which have gone live. On both sides significant progress has been made, but everyone would appreciate the fact that with the legislation not yet approved and The Bahamas not coming from a situation with a domestic tax system in place, that could be a challenge for the most effective implementation that we could have,” said Peters, who pointed out that Grenada allowed for nine months between the passage of the VAT legislation and the implementation of the tax.

Meanwhile, Peters recognized that with the legislation not having been passed, it is all the more difficult to convince businesses to begin investing in software and training related to VAT implementation, even as the intended deadline for the tax to come into effect draws near.

The Ministry of Finance is continuing to finalize the VAT legislation, with Financial Secretary John Rolle having indicated that it hopes to have a final version available for Cabinet, based on input from various sectors in which it has been in consultation by the end of the month.

Peters said that the Ministry is in the process of compiling a document with all of the recommendations from various industries on VAT which will form the basis of a presentation to Cabinet.

This will allow Cabinet to make the final decision about what changes are implemented in the legislation.

“I think that process should be a pretty smooth one given level of involvement our minister of state (Michael Halkitis) has in the process with technical team and the ministry of finance... so when it goes to the cabinet there won’t be much to comment,” said Peters.

Meanwhile, the VAT consultant said that on the Ministry side, “good progress” is being made towards implementation, with officials receiving assistance from a variety of sources in preparing for the launch of VAT.

“Now on the other side we have to have businesses on our side,” added Peters, who encouraged the private sector to continue to review the draft legislation and guidelines, and “see what effort it will take to program their system to accommodate” VAT.

“So you can get costings and quotations from providers so when things are finalized you can move swiftly ahead.”

She added that the VAT hotline has been “ringing off the hook” with queries from the private sector and general public about the proposed new tax, a sign she takes as a positive one.

“Only recently we have put additional resources in place to field the questions as they come in, so that has been pretty busy, and officers have been dealing with that.

“Before Christmas we had a series of questions and comments and those we’ve responded to and those continue to come in; so there’s a fair amount of traffic there as it relates to people seeking clarity – not just businesses, but regular persons in society have been asking very pertinent questions on cost of living, what type of preparations, should I buy now, what should I do. At least the measure is out there and people are becoming aware they need to start preparing.”

Peters encouraged more people to submit questions and call the hotline should they have questions.

January 17, 2014

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Monday, November 25, 2013

The Bahamas government should not bend to public pressure over value-added tax (VAT) ...says Bahamian Attorney, Wayne Munroe

Munroe: Govt should push ahead with VAT


By TANEKA THOMPSON
Guardian Senior Reporter
taneka@nasguard.com
Nassau, The Bahamas -


Attorney Wayne Munroe said the government should not bend to public pressure over value-added tax (VAT).

The Christie administration has been criticized for not yet releasing the VAT legislation and regulations with the proposed implementation date eight months away.  The government’s VAT public education program has also come under fire.

However, Munroe said these issues do not mean the government should delay or abandon the tax.

“They just need to get it done, all this nonsense about educating the public about tax, [were] any of us educated about the business license or real property tax or customs duties?

“So [why] suddenly the great need to educate us over VAT?  The people who have to collect it, pay it and administer the system must be told and must make themselves aware of what they need to know and that’s it.”

Munroe also suggested that it might be strategic for the government to delay the release of the VAT legislation and regulations, so people have less time to figure out how to circumvent payment.

“The government’s objective is to maximize revenue collection.  If you give me a month with a bill, I will probably be able to show deficiencies that would be able to beneficially impact my client and adversely impact government revenue collection.

“So there is nothing unusual about not circulating a revenue statute in advance and anyone with sense would know that.  The less time I have with it, the more time you have before I find out a clever way out of it.

The new VAT regime proposed by the government would allow the state to impose widespread penalties on those who fail to comply with the new act and its regulations, including heavy fines, shutting businesses down, publicly naming and shaming, the seizure of goods and the auctioning off of assets and even jail time.

The new regime proposes to allow the Central Revenue Agency (CRA), which the government is setting up to regulate and collect VAT, to demand details of assets from banking institutions, garnish money owed to registrants by others and restrict access to travel for those who owe outstanding taxes.

Under the new tax system, delinquent taxpayers can also be restricted from travel until outstanding taxes are settled.

Munroe questioned the rationale of this provision and said it should not be included in the final draft of the VAT legislation.

“You can’t restrict my movement because I owe the government money, because what does one have to do with the other?

“Does that mean poor people can’t move about?  Now, the U.S. for instance can refuse you entry into their country if you owe people money, but that’s because you have no right of entry into the U.S. or any other country other than your own.

“I can’t see them seriously talking about restricting your movement because you owe taxes.”

The government plans to roll out VAT on July 1, 2014 at a rate of 15 percent in the wide majority of cases.

However, Prime Minister Perry Christie has said he reserves the right to delay the implementation date.

VAT is expected to add an additional $200 million in revenue in the first year of implementation, officials estimate.

November 25, 2013

thenassauguardian

Monday, November 18, 2013

A note to Hubert Minnis on value-added tax (VAT) in The Bahamas ...and how we got there

VAT How we got here

A note to Hubert Minnis


By CANDIA DAMES
Guardian News Editor
candia@nasguard.com
Nassau, The Bahamas


Amid what appears to be a growing public tide against the July 1, 2014 implementation of value-added tax (VAT), Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis has finally released a position on this contentious issue.

It came as pressure grew within his party for the official opposition to make a clear statement on what would be the most dramatic shift in tax policy in decades.

The statement Minnis came up with is stunningly shallow. It lacks intellectual rigor and shows a startling lack of vision and leadership, all of which we desperately need at this stage of our development.

That is surprising in the sense that he should have access to the facts and to sound advice from qualified and knowledgeable people within his own party.

Given how long it took him to release a statement, he should have had adequate time to formulate a more reasoned position that could be taken seriously and add value to the ongoing discussion on tax reform.

But given his record on matters of serious import (for example, multiple positions on gambling), no one should be surprised that his sole approach is to attack the government on its plans without presenting a well thought out contribution to this growing debate with accompanying proposed policy alternatives.

It seems once again that the opposition leader has gauged the direction of the wind and formulated his position based on the mood of the country. But be mindful that his position could shift again with any sudden temperature change or change to the national tone.

Minnis, who 18 months ago sat as a minister of government, called on the current administration to immediately “come clean to the people, and to explain, precisely and clearly what the circumstances are which have prompted this sudden lurch towards the imposition of VAT”.

It is worrying that the official opposition leader does not know the answer to this question.

Minnis is operating as someone who only entered the political arena in May 2012, distancing himself from the actions of the former administration.

He pretends instead to be blind to the fiscal circumstances of the day, but more importantly to the fiscal realities that existed while he was a minister of government, and the decisions taken to address those realities.

While no one should excoriate the FNM leader for setting along his own path and defining his own leadership style, he and his party are saddled with their record in office.

They cannot run from the decisions taken by the FNM administration — the good and the bad ones.

If as opposition leader Minnis does not know what the circumstances are that have prompted this “sudden lurch towards the imposition of VAT”, he might be ignoring easily available facts.

Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Roberts has gone as far as saying Minnis might be suffering a case of memory loss.

“How else [do you] explain his scolding for a debt crisis created by his own party?” Roberts asked.

“Or was Dr. Minnis asleep at the Cabinet table when his government approved, borrowed and spent over $2 billion in five years, running up the national debt and pushing the country into this current fiscal dilemma?”

If Minnis is not sure how we got to where we are, he might find it useful to do a bit of research and examine the facts of the country’s debt levels.

This might jog his memory.

In August 2011 when the international credit rating agency Moody’s downgraded its outlook for the Bahamian economy from stable to negative, it pointed to the significant run up in government debt levels in recent years and the country’s limited growth prospects.

Moody’s noted that debt rose steadily between 2000 and 2008, but over 40 percent of the increase occurred between 2009 and 2011.

Government debt at the end of June 2011 was estimated at $3.5 billion. It has continued to grow. It is projected to be $4.9 billion when the government implements VAT next July.

This is unsustainable. We are in crisis.

Had the Free National Movement been re-elected to office last year, we would have been facing the same urgent need to tackle our debt, and reform our narrow and inefficient tax system.

Reform

Before Minnis twists himself into an impossible situation and puts his credibility on the line, perhaps he ought to have a discussion with former Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing, his former Cabinet colleague, who helped engineer fiscal policies under the Ingraham administration.

Laing has not hidden the fact that the FNM had planned to implement VAT within “two to three years” if it had won the election last year.

The PLP administration is seeking to do it at the start of its third year in office.

Laing said more recently, “In office, we certainly looked at implementing it and if returned to office would have given it early consideration. However, we would have also given it broad consideration in the context of the wider reforms to our tax system that we were already undertaking.”

So Minnis’ own party was eyeing what he now calls a “regressive” taxation system. He may wish to examine why his party also thought this regressive tax was the best option.

He now warns that VAT would “seriously impair the already weak, uncompetitive and struggling Bahamian economy and harm and diminish the quality of life of every Bahamian”.

Unlike Minnis, Laing does not run away from the fact that the Ingraham administration piled on the debt.

The pace was dizzying.

Laing noted in a speech to the Rotary Club of Freeport in August that, “A country can borrow to cover its deficits for a long time, for decades and decades.

“It can even do so increasing its debt to GDP ratio to extraordinary levels, above 100 percent, but the price to pay for this is reduced ability to afford products and services (education, infrastructure, technology, etc.) that could lend to a more prosperous, efficient and peaceful state.

“Minimizing deficit spending is good government policy, especially in times of economic growth.”

The former government has been sure to provide a clear explanation that the high level of borrowing was needed in the face of a dramatic downturn in the global economy.

That explanation has been arguable, as the PLP accused the Ingraham administration of taking actions to worsen an already bad situation.

While prime minister, Hubert Ingraham had said often in his last term that without borrowing the government would not have been able to do simple things, like pay the salaries of civil servants.

Minnis ought to know that we are now suffering the fallout of sky-high deficits and annual borrowing.

To be clear, the vast majority of the resolutions to borrow were approved in Parliament by the then opposition led by Perry Christie.

Nobody likes to hear of new taxes, and so VAT and tax reform was not a prominent theme of the 2012 general election campaigns.

Upon coming to office, the PLP itself feigned surprise at the state of public finances. With that excuse in hand, it continued to borrow, saying it needed to do so to deal with the problems it inherited from the Ingraham administration.

“The fiscal accounts are in much worse shape than we had expected as we came into office,” Prime Minister Christie told the House not long after the May 2012 general election.

“In our very short time in office, it has become clear to us that the previous administration has, through its actions and fiscal policies, constrained our room to maneuver.”

In May 2013, the Christie administration brought a resolution to the House of Assembly to borrow $465 million to finance the projected revenue shortfall in the 2013/2014 fiscal year.

This added to the $650 million the new government borrowed in its first year.

Government debt as a percentage of GDP is projected at 56.4 percent at the end of 2013/2014.

Christie advised that much of the money the government borrowed last year was required to cover unpaid financial commitments incurred during the Ingraham administration.

“The legacy of high public deficits and spiraling debt burden that we inherited is brutally onerous: almost one out of every $4 in revenue collected by the government must be allocated to pay the interest charges on the public debt and cover the debt repayment,” he said.

“Had we chosen to ignore the grave structural imbalance in the public finances, the debt would have continued to spin out of control.”

This year, the government will spend an estimated $230 million on debt servicing alone.

While it is true that the PLP claimed to have immediate but unrealistic answers to attack our fiscal and economic woes while on the campaign trail, it is not on its own responsible for the current state of affairs.

It matters not at this juncture who is to blame, however. What is required now is reform to arrest the growing unsustainable debt levels.

As stated by Laing in his address to Rotary, “If you want to punish those who drive up cost through waste or bad decisions, then do that at election time, but know that the cost still has to be paid by the citizens.”

Minnis may wish to read and carefully consider that useful and informative address delivered by Laing.

In the speech titled “VAT and its implications for The Bahamas and the Bahamian economy”, Laing pointed out that the government needs cash and it needs it badly.

“We are in discussions about VAT implementation because there is a glaring reality confronting The Bahamas, which is that its income cannot pay for its operations,” Laing explained.

“It has not done so from The Bahamas became an independent nation. We have run deficits and financed those deficits with borrowings since 1974, when we ran a deficit of some $33 million. Incidentally, we had a surplus of about $3 million the year before that, the last such surplus seen on total budget performance.”

Laing continued, “In the wake of the crippling effects of the global recession of 2008 and the strain it put on the revenue of the government, our deficit spending has reached extraordinary levels, which is unsustainable, especially in light of the modest growth seen both in terms of the world’s economy and our domestic economy so dependent on it.

“The government needs money to pay for its expenses, and it needs money badly. That is why VAT is being discussed with the sense of urgency that it is being discussed today. In 1995 when the issue first arose, it was being discussed as a planning function; today it is a practical issue of money.”

Details

The Nassau Guardian last week reported on the government’s proposed VAT bill and regulations. It is not clear when these will be brought to Parliament.

The debate cannot be vibrant and well informed without the official release of what is being proposed.

Minnis has said the PLP should immediately disclose to the Bahamian people the details of any economic studies and analyses either by domestic or international advisors or agencies that have led the government to this proposed course of action.

Many people are indeed awaiting the release of an economic impact study to show specific projections resulting from the VAT implementation, including the projected cost of living impact.

Financial Secretary John Rolle said last week that the cost of living is expected to rise between five and six percent in the first year. There were no details to show how these figures were arrived at, and there were no projections provided for cost of living increases in subsequent years.

This year is almost ended, and the government will have six months to clearly make its case, to seek to calm frayed public nerves, and cause for a smooth implementation of the new tax system.

That is ambitious.

Anecdotal evidence suggests the government is losing, not gaining support from the public on its push toward the implementation of VAT.

Its marketing of the initiative is on shaky ground, and it is only now just starting its public education campaign.

While there is an urgent imperative to act, it appears that on its current track, the new tax system could be off to a chaotic and undesirable start — a difficult birth, as we opined here previously.

What the government needs now is a more community based VAT campaign and a bit more time to get the message out.

It might be in the interest of everyone to push off the implementation date by a few months. It would allow the business community and consumers to better digest the details of VAT.

And perhaps it would give the opposition leader a bit more time to better understand how we got to where we are.

We hope it would also give the government a little more time to present a tax reform package that has buy-in from the opposition.

On a matter this grave, such a buy-in could only be in the national interest.

thenassauguardian

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

...there is an element of the Bahamian society that views the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) value-added tax (VAT) experience as one that could provide a lesson to The Bahamas' context

TCI rejected ‘rushed’ VAT proposal


By CANDIA DAMES
Guardian News Editor
candia@nasguard.com
Nassau, The Bahamas


Fierce opposition ahead of the planned April 1, 2013 implementation of value-added tax (VAT) in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) led to the United Kingdom pulling back from that position.

Professor Gilbert Morris, who chairs the Turks and Caicos Resort Owners Economic Council, told National Review that TCI residents were primarily concerned with the “rushed” manner in which VAT would have been implemented.

“We never said no to VAT,” explained Morris, a Bahamian.

“We simply said, look there has not been enough time; you’re rushing it through.  If you look across the Caribbean, the record has not been very good.

“The government collects most of the money it says during the first three years, but then the pie begins to shrink and then the government raises the rate.  That has been the Caribbean experience generally with the exception of the Dominican Republic.”

Both the TCI government and opposition had opposed VAT.  In The Bahamas, there is an element of society that views the TCI experience as one that could provide a lesson to our country’s context.

But there is an important difference: It is the Bahamas government, not some foreign power seeking to impose the new tax regime.

Opposition Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis has called on the government to put off the implementation of VAT, saying it was being rushed.

Recently, the government softened its tone on the issue, with Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Perry Christie saying the July 1, 2014 implementation date is not set in stone.

But the government is clear that its plan is to introduce VAT.

In the Turks and Caicos Islands where Premier Rufus Ewing had campaigned against VAT, the decision to abandon the VAT effort was announced in a letter by Mark Simmonds, the UK’s Minister for the Overseas Territories, in February.

Simmonds wrote:  “It remains Her Majesty’s Government’s (HMG) view that VAT would provide a more stable, fairer and broader based system of revenue for TCI than that which is currently in place.

“The government of TCI has a responsibility to ensure sound finances in the territory. This includes constraining expenditure within the legally binding fiscal framework which is now in place and being able to refinance its debts in 2016 without a further UK government loan guarantee.

“The TCI government will face more difficult choices to ensure stable and sustainable revenues and expenditures in the absence of VAT.

“HMG is clear that we will not accept a return to the dire financial situation in TCI which prevailed before the interim administration.”

The Bahamas is fighting its own dire financial situation, having piled on debt in recent years at a dizzying rate.

Government debt as at June 30, 2014 is projected to be $4.9 billion, compared to $2.4 billion as at July 2007.

Mission creep

Morris believes the lead-up to the planned implementation of VAT in The Bahamas does not leave enough time for it to be done properly.

“The main problem with VAT for countries where there is a tradition of inefficient public service management is mission creep,” explained Morris, who served as an observer during the implementation of VAT in several African nations.

“You start off at one point with one set of costs and because you didn’t pay attention, another long-term set of costs or hidden costs or unforeseen costs, you end up having to absorb those costs and increase the size of what you intended to do, so the mission creeps up on you.  So this is one of the problems.”

The TCI government has put in place a Blue Ribbon Commission on future taxation.  Morris is a member of the commission.

“We have looked at the short-term issues for the government and tried to look at taxes that in the short term could put the government in an effective position,” he said.

Looking at the Bahamian context, Morris added, “The Bahamian people will forgive any government that goes after growth and prosperity for the Bahamian people and makes mistakes.

“What will not be forgiven is a government that overburdens the Bahamian people with taxation, drawn from a wild variety of half studies and statements and impressions and whatever have you, cookie cutter programs for other countries, to force us to become like every other Caribbean country when even in the condition that we’re in, we’re ahead of them.”

Morris said he has experience with the proper implementation of VAT and a bad implementation of VAT on a national scale — a country smaller than The Bahamas and a country 10, 15 times the size of The Bahamas.

“And in each case where it was implemented well, there was a three- to five-year gestation period,” he explained.

“They picked a small area of industry.  They tested it first to see how it worked. They added another area, added another area, did a review after one year, looked at that, talked to the public.

“People got to know about it, and all of a sudden those businesses that were a part of a test and review period they became the central operators, the central businesses that could help the government explain.

“So, rather than depending on some paid person to come in who has a vested interest, in places where it has been done well, they have rolled it out and rolled it out in a small corner of the economy…do it for six months, nine months.

“Clean it up then try it again for three months; do a review then those businesses with the experience join the public education process, and people could look at their own people explaining how it would work for them.”

Morris said what the Bahamas government ought to be doing is growing the economic pie rather than taking a higher proportion of the same economic pie.

“We need to figure out what it takes to run The Bahamas, find the taxes that are on the books, make everybody pay the existing taxes, and then we need to get the minister of finance, the minister of foreign affairs, BAIC (Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation), all these groups, the development bank, get them out of the country on the road drumming up business to expand the economic pie on the basis of a clear and precise 10-year development plan,” he said.

In The Bahamas, there is an estimated $500 million outstanding in property taxes alone.

Morris noted that VAT is infinitely more complex than property taxes.

Referring to the need for greater efforts at economic growth, Morris said, “That’s what governments should be talking about now, not additional taxes, not joining the Word Trade Organization.”

November 11, 2013

thenassauguardian

Monday, November 11, 2013

The Tax Coalition in The Bahamas praises the Bahamian Prime Minister for being open to pushing back Value-Added Tax’s (VAT) implementation day in The Islands

Tax Coalition Chiefs Praise Pm’S ‘Fantastic’ Vat Remarks



By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
Nassau, The Bahamas



Co-chairs for the private sector’s Tax Coalition yesterday praised indications that the Prime Minister was open to pushing back Value-Added Tax’s (VAT) implementation day as “fantastic”, warning it was “paramount” that the economy be protected.

Pointing out that the Government would not achieve its revenue-raising objectives if the economy “went to hell in a hand basket”, Robert Myers said he was interpreting Mr Christie’s comments positively, and as a sign that the Government was listening to the private sector’s concerns.

And, picking up on another aspect of the Prime Minister’s remarks, Mr Myers said it was “ludicrous” that a wealthy, ‘informal’ sector in the shape of web shop gaming remained untaxed as the Government moved to increase the burden on legitimate businesses and Bahamian citizens.

Suggesting that the Government could earn as much as $100 million per annum from taxing web shop gaming, Mr Myers added that the Treasury would likely earn another $50 million just by tightening up on the collection of existing taxes.

He especially called on the Government’s new Central Revenue Agency (CRA) to compare bank wire transfers and drafts obtained by companies to finance import purchases with subsequent Customs declarations, to ensure they were not evading due revenue payments. And Business Licence renewals also needed to be better linked with being current on tax payments

With these various initiatives potentially generating another $150 million per annum for the Government, Mr Myers said successful execution would enable it to either lower the VAT rate of possibly avoid introducing the new tax altogether.

The businessman told Tribune Business that the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) Coalition for Responsible Taxation was attempting to “drive one objective; that the economy is protected”.

“No matter what we do with [government] revenue, the primary issue is we protect the economy,” Mr Myers emphasised.

“We understand the need for government revenue, we support the need for something to be done. The question is: What are we going to do, and how, and that we protect and unequivocally ensure the economy is not going to take a hit?

“That’s paramount here. No one wins if the economy goes to hell in a hand basket. That has always been our position.”

Mr Christie’s comments on Wednesday outside the House of Assembly indicate he is prepared to push the July 1, 2014, target deadline back if he feels the Government and private sector are not ready for it.

This is line with the Coalition’s calls for the Government to postpone VAT implementation to a date at least 12 months from the release of the accompanying legislation, regulations, Tariff Schedules and economic models.

The Bahamas is now less than eight months from the July 1 VAT implementation deadline, with none of the above documents having been released.

Still, interpreting the Prime Minister’s comments as a sign the Government was willing to dialogue with the private sector, Mr Myers said of his remarks: “That’s great, that’s fantastic.

“We’re very happy with his comments, and that’s the responsible thing to do. He’s suggesting in that statement that he’s listening to the business community.”

He was backed by fellow Coalition co-chair, Gowon Bowe, he said the Prime Minister’s comments indicated he wanted discussions with both it and the wider business community.

The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) accountant and partner added that while the Government knew it was necessary to change the Bahamas’ fiscal course, it was “equally appreciative that if they get it wrong, it will be catastrophic”.

Pointing out that VAT was one component of fiscal reform, Mr Bowe said all elements had to be bound together in one “complete and comprehensive approach”.

“We have to look at spending, how we manage the debt, our foreign currency reserves and how we manage the reserves at the Central Bank,” Mr Bowe told Tribune Business.

“So it’s a multi-pronged approach. We need to make sure we have it correct.”

Mr Bowe added that he felt Mr Christie would not have made the comments he did without senior officials telling him there were issues that needed to be tackled with respect to VAT.

Mr Christie also suggested that January’s web shop gaming ‘opinion poll’ outcome had deprived the Government of another revenue stream, something Mr Myers agreed with.

“It’s absolutely ludicrous to think we’re going to tax the legal entities of this country, and the citizens of this country, while this sector remains unregulated, open and illegitimate,” he told Tribune Business.

“It’s absurd to think legitimate people pay taxes, and these numbers houses remain unregulated because we’ve not figured out how to regulate them.

“It’s not going anywhere, and we’ve not indicated we have the fortitude to close them down. Let’s stop fooling ourselves. The numbers guys want to be regulated, want to be taxed.”

Mr Myers said Wednesday’s meeting with the Retail Grocers Association, and other Bahamian retailers, went well in terms of introducing them to the Coalition and its objectives and having them elect representatives to it.

Emphasising that the Coalition was not seeking to “override” or take the place of individual industry Associations, Mr Myers said it was intended to act as a “catalyst” and focal point through which they could all air their VAT-related concerns to the Government.

He added that the Coalition was now “imploring” them to submit their industry-specific concerns to it, and provide recommendations on revenues that the Government was “leaving on the table” or were easy to collect.

Suggestions had already come in from the Bahamas Diving Association and Marina Operators, Mr Myers said, adding of the fiscal situation: “We can sit here and cry, but we’re here.

“Now you’re asking for a paramount change in the way we do business, and what’s going to happen in our lives. We made a mistake, and have got one shot to fix this. Let’s fix it. We’ve got to go down fighting.”

November 08, 2013


Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Value-Added Tax (VAT) in The Bahamas ...and its “positive” impact on the Bahamian economy’s growth and employment prospects ...in the medium-term

Idb Study Shows Vat 'Positive' For Jobs, Growth






By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
Nassau, The Bahamas




An Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) study has shown that Value-Added Tax (VAT) will have a “positive” impact on the Bahamian economy’s growth and employment prospects in the medium-term, a senior official said last night.
 
John Rolle, the Ministry of Finance’s financial secretary, said that despite the IDB study being incomplete, the ‘preliminary results’ showed the Government’s tax reform centrepiece would also result in reduced inflationary pressures.
 
“While the IDB study is ongoing, we have seen the preliminary results, which attest to the projected positive economic impact of the fiscal reforms (growth and employment over the medium term), and to the reduced inflationary pressures to which the budgetary consolidation would contribute,” Mr Rolle told Tribune Business.
 
“Additional historical data is being added to the economic model, which will allow the researchers to fine-tune their results. Afterwards the results of the study will be published.”
 
Mr Rolle was commenting after the IDB used its October quarterly bulletin on the Caribbean to confirm it is working with the Government on implementing VAT in the Bahamas. It said its study on the new tax’s impact on the economy and wider society was only “underway”.
 
“The IDB has been working with the Government of the Bahamas to assist with Value-Added Tax (VAT) implementation,” the Bank’s October missive said.
 
“Using an econometric model, the IDB has provided specific input on the effects of the changes in revenue of the proposed VAT rates and the base on which the VAT will be charged.
 
“An economic impact study that assesses the effect on prices, economic growth, poverty and income distribution is currently underway. Consultations on the creation of the Central Revenue Agency, which will administer the VAT and select the IT system, are currently underway.”
 
Despite Mr Rolle’s assurances, the IDB’s comment is still likely to raise eyebrows in the private sector, as it indicates that the true ‘number crunching’ on VAT’s impact on the wider Bahamian economy and society has yet to be completed, and with implementation of the new tax now less than eight-and-a-half months away.
 
It is also unclear whether the Government internally, via the Ministry of Finance, has completed ‘VAT economic impact’ studies of its own, or whether this work has been done by other agencies, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF, or external consultants.
 
A Ministry of Finance press statement earlier this year referenced work done by the IMF and its regional affiliate, CARTAC, on a Bahamian VAT, although no specifics about the nature of their work were released.
 
One observer who raised such questions was Rick Lowe, an executive with the Nassau Institute economic think-tank, whose own study on VAT’s likely impact on the Bahamas has been belittled by various government officials.
 
Suggesting that the Government’s moral authority to do this was diminished by the absence of any completed studies of its own, Mr Lowe argued that the burden of VAT collection/administration was being placed on those companies that were already 100 per cent compliant with their taxes.
 
And, noting the contents of the 2010-2011 Auditor General’s Report, which found that another $95 million in unpaid real property tax was added to the existing ‘sum owing’, taking this to over $500 million, Mr Lowe questioned how the Government expected to collect everything due to it under a VAT.
 
“It’s a basket case, it really is,” Mr Lowe told Tribune Business. “How do we expect to implement a more convoluted tax system if we can’t administer the basics?”
 
He added that the experience of other countries that had implemented VAT was that new taxes did not stop there, often being followed by income taxes and other revenue-raising measures.
 
“It’s a never-ending way to tax people,” Mr Lowe added. “It’s the thin end of the wedge. If we’re not capable of collecting basic taxes, heaven knows, not to mention the underground economy.”
 
He added that VAT would likely drive more Bahamians to online shopping and trips to Miami, and said of the IDB’s comments on the economic impact study, or lack of it: “How can they [the Government] stand up there and berate anyone who has concerns based on the impact of VAT on other countries in the region, and they’ve not done a study yet? It speaks volumes.
 
“They berate anyone who stands up and raises questions, and those questions result from government’s lack of information. We’re beeped down as if we’re dummies.
 
“They’ve [the Government] been forging ahead as if it’s a fait accompli, and haven’t done a cost benefit analysis. Have they considered the impact on businesses close to the edge? Obviously they haven’t. Is it going to destroy the economy and they get less revenue? Is that the Government’s intention?
 
“If they haven’t done the basics yet, how can they just think they can throw their hands up and say: ‘We can take more money from the citizens?’ It’s unconscionable. I weep for our country.”
 
Questioning why the Government had allowed “this large swathe” of non-real property tax payers to exist, Mr Lowe said VAT would impose an even greater tax burden on those who were already paying their bills.
 
“To say we can’t collect the taxes already on the books, and to tax more people who legally do what’s right and pay the taxes they ought to pay, something’s wrong with that reasoning,” he added.
 
October 21, 2013
 
 
 

Saturday, October 5, 2013

The implementation of Value-Added Tax (VAT) in The Bahamas ...without a reduction in current revenue measures ...is a recipe for recession

Vat Move 'A Recipe For Recession'





By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Staff Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
Nassau, The Bahamas




THE implementation of Value-Added Tax without a reduction in current revenue measures is a recipe for recession, former finance minister and economist Sir William Allen said yesterday.

Sir William said that a 2014 roll out of the new tax system was “not doable”, and likely to result in disappointment and frustration for both the government and the taxpayers.

He maintained that the economy was still “too weak” for an increase of the minimum wage as a way to offset the “pain” of VAT.

Sir William said: “Economic performance is very weak, the economy has not yet recovered from the 2007/2008 period. It is still very weak and the recovery is very anaemic. An increase to minimum wage will be contrary to improvement in the economy, it would work against the improvement of the economy. You have to consider the timing.”

He added: “I agree that VAT will not be without pain, because the very nature of VAT, it’s going to impact everybody in society.

The Government is proposing to implement VAT on July 1, 2014, at a rate of 15 per cent, with the hotel industry to be subject to a lower 10 per cent rate. The Government’s White Paper on tax reform proposes to exempt those companies with an annual turnover of $50,000 or less from having to pay VAT.

Sir William called on the government to clarify whether or not it intended to reduce current taxes to make room in the economy for VAT, adding that whether or not officials could strike a balance between existing taxes and the new structure would ultimately determine the strategy’s success.

“The public is not expecting to pay the same level of custom’s duties along with everything. If that is so, there is gonna be hell to pay in this economy.”

“They’re not speaking to that clearly enough.”

Another worrisome component of the government’s VAT initiative is it’s timeline, according to Sir William, who posited that an ideal roll out would be three to five years.

He said: “My concern with the VAT is that they are seeking to put in place much too short a schedule. I don’t think that sufficient time has been given to putting it in place – to put into effect a VAT system by July 1, 2014, with the best of intentions, that is not doable in my view.”

Sir William said: “It is not doable, or if it is done it will be very inefficient and it’s going to lead to considerable disappointment on (government’s part) in terms of revenue that they collect and a lot of frustration on the part of the taxpayers.”

While Sir William noted that it was obvious the government was hard pressed to close the some three per cent gap between GDP revenue and expenditure, he maintained that it was highly improbable that the government could recoup that figure within the 2014/2015 fiscal year.

Sir William said: “You know what they do when you can tell something is wrong in an economy– if you look at the buildings or parks and they’re not maintained and if you listen to people and they’re not being paid - that’s how you know something is wrong, that’s an indication of fiscal pressure, money pressure.”

“And in light of that it’s going to be difficult to see how they are going to reduce their expenditure. There is going to be pressure for further expenditure.”

Pointing to the cost of the government’s anti-crime initiatives, which he commended, Sir William said: “I see nothing that permits them to reduce their expenditure, I don’t see any possibility on the horizon that permits for that.” 

Sir William said: “I think there’s a very valid rationale for putting [VAT] in place, the government is running a capital deficit and a current account deficit. The current account deficit is the most worrisome because that means that your revenue is not covering your ordinary expenses.

He said: “In the context of a household, if you have to borrow money to pay your rent you’re in trouble. If you have to borrow money to buy food you’re in trouble - that’s a current account expense.”

He added: “That’s a big number, if you consider a GDP of say $9 billion dollars, so that three per cent you’re talking about $270 million. You have to do something about that, it’s not a way that you can continue to operate for a long period of time and in fact we’ve been running like that for much too long.”

Nearly eight months after the release of the Government’s White Paper on Tax Reform, the former finance said he was still unimpressed with the PLP administration’s reform strategy.

Back in July, Tribune Business reported that Sir William was “doubtful” that the Government will hit the target timelines for its two key fiscal objectives – the introduction of Value-Added Tax (VAT) and eliminating the fiscal deficit by the 2015-2016 Budget year.

Sir Allen said that while he would prefer an income tax, the Bahamas has already sold itself as a “tax haven”.

“We boast,” he said, “all our marketing has been ‘no income tax’, and there is a certain fear in certain quarters that once you establish an income tax it’s only a matter of time before it impacts [offshore finance].

Sir William said: “We seek as much as we can to exclude the offshore sector from this tax on the assumption that one of the reasons why they come here is that they come to avoid income tax. One can argue whether that continues to be a valid position, but a lot has changed in the Bahamas.”

October 04, 2013


Sunday, September 15, 2013

Bankers' are concerned about the proposed Value-Added Tax (VAT) ...and other government initiatives facing the sector in The Bahamas

Vat 'Uncertainty' Puts Bank Hires, Projects On Hold






By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
Nassau, The Bahamas




A top banker has warned that the uncertainty created by the proposed Value-Added Tax (VAT), and other government initiatives facing the sector, has caused institutions to place new hires and capital expansion projects on hold.
 
Ian Jennings, Commonwealth Bank’s president, said that with ‘financial services’ likely to be VAT ‘exempt’, the BISX-listed institution and other commercial banks would be unable to ‘net off’ the tax they paid on their inputs.
 
But, acknowledging that it was “not as simple” as a straight 15 per cent across-the-board increase for all Commonwealth Bank’s input costs, he said much would depend on whether VAT’s impact was mitigated by a corresponding reduction in Customs duty.
 
Still, Mr Jennings added that VAT, when combined with the new 3 per cent Business Licence fee and proposed Homeowners Protection Bill, had just added to “the level of uncertainty” facing the commercial banking sector.
 
“You’ve got uncertainty over the Homeowners Protection Bill, the impact of the increase of the Business Licence fees, and you’ve got the impact of VAT,” Mr Jennings told Tribune Business.
 
Pointing to the potential ‘Triple Whammy’ facing the sector, the Commonwealth Bank chief added: “There’s a lot of uncertainty, and as a result it makes you more cautious and much more reluctant as to whether you add staff and undertake future capital projects.”
 
Tribune Business has been informed that at least one commercial bank (not Commonwealth) has warned the Government that it may slash staff, and reduce its branch network via closures, if it brings VAT in as planned, while also maintaining the 3 per cent Business Licence fee.
 
This is because the combined impact of these new taxes would result in a significant bottom line contraction of anywhere between 10-40 per cent, especially given that commercial banks will, under the Government’s White Paper, be exempt from paying VAT.
 
This means that banks and other financial services providers, such as insurance companies, will join Doctors Hospital and healthcare providers in not having to register to pay VAT.
 
Nor will they have to charge the 15 per cent on customer bills. However, their ‘exempt’ status means they will not be able to claim back the VAT they will have to pay on their own input costs.
 
This has led to increasing concern throughout the financial services sector that VAT will spark an increase in their cost base, although the extent of this rise is uncertain.
 
“Our understanding at the moment is that the banks will be exempt, which means that while we will not be collecting VAT on our sales, we will be paying VAT on all our inputs. That means we could be looking at a 15 per cent increase in costs,” Mr Jennings told Tribune Business.
 
However, he acknowledged that it was not as easy as that. Mr Jennings said much would depend on what inputs, and suppliers, would attract VAT, and whether the promised reduction in Customs duties would “offset the increase with VAT”.
 
While VAT is unlikely to spark a 15 per cent increase in commercial bank input costs across the board, only goods will be impacted by a reduction in Customs duties, not services.
 
Mr Jennings noted that services purchased by Commonwealth Bank, such as accounting fees and legal fees, would attract the 15 per cent VAT with no possibility of a Customs duty offset.
 
“Some of those inputs will be increased,” he said. “In a lot of cases it depends on what that reduction in duty is to offset that 15 per cent VAT.
 
“At one time they were saying it was going to be revenue neutral. We have to wait and see for the detail.”
 
Mr Jennings said the banking industry’s single largest expense item was staff costs, something that should largely be unaffected by VAT. 
 
September 13, 2013
 
 
 

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Value Added Tax (VAT) and The Bahamas: ...Moody's International Credit Rating Agency has assigned value-added tax (VAT) a credit positive ...and estimates it could account for a third of The Bahamas' government revenue by 2016

Moody’s assigns VAT credit positive

Moody’s projects new tax could make up third of govt revenue by 2016, serving as ‘significant catalyst’ in economic reform effort


BY JEFFREY TODD
Guardian Business Editor
jeffrey@nasguard.com
Nassau, The Bahamas


An international ratings agency has assigned value-added tax (VAT) a credit positive and estimates it could account for a third of government revenue by 2016.

Moody's official assessment, released yesterday morning, found that VAT will likely be revenue neutral in the first one or two years. The government recently announced it would implement the tax by July 2014. This delay in revenue is due to a large set of zero-rated or tax-exempt goods and services, according to the report, and the elimination of other taxes such as select excise duties and business licensing fees.

"Fiscal revenue gains will become apparent as the VAT system matures," Moody's stated.

"We estimate the gross contribution of VAT revenue will expand to six percent of GDP annually by 2016. This will be a significant catalyst for the government's fiscal consolidation efforts."

Indeed, other countries in the region with VAT systems in place, such as Barbados, Belize and Jamaica, report overall fiscal revenue contribution of about 30 percent, or around eight percent of GDP.

"The ultimate effect of tax reforms, including the VAT, on The Bahamas' creditworthiness will depend on the government's willingness and ability to embed them in a broader fiscal strategy that also begins to reign in the government's current expenditure commitments," the report continued.

Moody's explained that the government's tax base currently stands at less than 20 percent of GDP, which is small compared to other countries in the region. The ratings agency referred to trade-related customs duties as "volatile", and yet it made up 50 percent of the total revenue in 2012.

Most significantly, it noted that this revenue source will likely "shrink" as duties are phased out with World Trade Organization (WTO) ascension.

Moody's also highlighted the "significant tax concessions" in tourism. As a result, this area accounts for only 10 percent of fiscal revenues.

In his mid-year budget communication yesterday, Prime Minister Perry Christie hinted that these concessions could be scaled back as part of the government's aggressive strategy to right the economy.

Last year, according to the government, trade tax made up 9.3 percent of GDP. Property tax accounted for just 1.4 percent, tourism-related taxes 2.1 percent and non-tax revenue 1.4 percent.

"Other tax" made up 4.1 percent, bringing the total revenue composition to less than 20 percent of GDP.

"The VAT is a key element of a broader set of structural reforms introduced this year to expand and diversify the tax base. The reforms reflect the government's commitment to fiscal consolidation," the report said.

Interestingly, the ratings agency made no mention of the government's plan to bring the tax on board by next year. The Christie administration has been criticized for assigning an overly ambitious timeline, most recently by the Council for Concerned Bahamians Abroad.

James Smith, a former minister of state for finance, emphasized yesterday that VAT is not a new idea for The Bahamas. The first study, he said, was conducted in 2002 with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"It would appear starting fresh you would need more time. But a lot of the ground work has already been done," he told Guardian Business.

Of all the reforms introducing by Prime Minister Perry Christie in recent times, Smith said VAT is the most significant.

"It's something we have never done before, where we expand tax to cover services. For us, I think it is a dramatic change," he added.

February 26, 2013

thenassauguardian