Dear Editor,
Hurricane Matthew has cost already struggling Bahamian families nearly everything. In the days following the passage of the monster storm, hundreds have struggled to meet even their most basic needs: food, clothing, shelter. Now, as Bahamians work to piece together the fragments of their own lives, our country's leaders are, according to published reports, considering a hurricane tax to fund the ongoing recovery efforts. The Democratic National Alliance cannot and will not support such a tax!
Over the past four years in office, we the people of this country have watched as this Christie administration has overseen millions in government wastage, mismanagement and reckless spending. Newspaper headlines have been littered with stories about theft and financial misappropriation of taxpayer funds and resources - all of which have gone unpunished - while millions of dollars in cost overruns for Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival have been dismissed as par for the course by organizers of the event. In the face of such financial ineptitude, how and why should Bahamians be required to pay an additional tax because of the government's failure to properly plan for such natural disasters?
The DNA is not comforted by the PM's promise of a "minimal impact" tax. Over the past four years in office, the PLP government has failed to deliver on countless promises to the people of this country. After promising to pay down the country's debt, we have instead watched the country's sovereign credit rating be downgraded to near junk status, and the national debt has ballooned to a staggering 76.3 percent of GDP. Like many right-thinking Bahamians, the DNA can't help but wonder where the millions in VAT taxes collected over the past two years have gone! After bragging about the millions collected the government has offered no details regarding how those monies have been spent or why they cannot be used to fund the current efforts.
Our country's geographic location makes us vulnerable to the ravages of hurricanes. In fact, in the past 15 years alone we have had major storms rip through our archipelago, causing millions in damage on Grand Bahama Island, in the southeastern Bahamas and here in New Providence. Hurricanes are not new. And by now, a responsible government would have planned properly for the possibility of a major storm, including ways to fund recovery and restore a sense of normalcy to its people.
The consideration of this so-called hurricane tax is a slap in the face to suffering Bahamians. Not only is this position a departure from Perry Christie's previously announced plans to create a $150 million hurricane reconstruction bond that would assist in the restoration efforts, but it further represents a lack of follow-through on the part of this administration which promised - after the passage of Hurricane Joaquin - to implement the necessary changes to disaster legislation to ensure that recovery efforts could be properly funded.
While Bahamians suffer, this government's response to this natural disaster continues to rub salt in the very fresh wounds left behind by Matthew. The DNA demands that this government go back to the drawing board, trim the fat and reduce wastage in government so that Bahamians can receive the quality of assistance they deserve.
- Branville McCartney, DNA leader
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