As part of Baha Mar’s ongoing efforts to deliver on its promise to transform The Bahamas, the luxury resort is also providing opportunities for Bahamian entrepreneurs to participate in the retail experience at Baha Mar.

The resort’s retail offerings will be a carefully curated collection of locally made products and global luxury brands that reflect the elegant yet authentic lifestyle at Baha Mar.

Recently, Bahamian owned and operated retailer Uniquely Bahamian Boutique signed on as a retailer at Baha Mar. The company, established in 2000, is a sister company to Jewels by The Sea, a fine jewelry store.

Uniquely Bahamian Boutique specializes in jewelry and other productsfrom sourced by local craftspeople and artisans throughout The Bahamas. “We are proud of the fact that, as a retailer at Baha Mar, we will create opportunities for small-scale artisans to have access to the world stage in a world-classresort.

It means the difference between their craft being a hobby and being a career,” said Rory Dean, Uniquely Bahamian’s Director.

“Our vendors will have to get more creative, use higher- end materials and produce bigger, bolder products to appeal to the guests at Baha Mar.”

“We are committed to showing the world the talent and creativity of the Bahamian people. Retailers such as Uniquely Bahamian share this commitment and are a critical part of bringing this vision to life.

Together, we will create opportunities for Bahamians to realize their dreams, provide jobs and grow our economy,” remarked Paul Pusateri, Chief Operating Officer at Baha Mar.

About Baha Mar

Baha Mar, which is scheduled to open in December 2014, is set on 3,000 feet of white-sand beach just 12 minutes from Nassau's newly expanded Lynden Pindling International Airport. The resort will feature an elite collection of hotel brands with gaming, entertainment, private residences, shopping and natural attractions that reflect an authentic Bahamian experience. The Baha Mar Casino & Hotel, with 1,000 rooms, is the centerpiece of the resort, and includes a 100,000-square-foot Las Vegas-style casino – the largest in the Caribbean region. A 700-room Grand Hyatt, a 300-room Mondrian, a 200-room Rosewood Hotels & Resorts® and the 694-room Meliá complete the extraordinary accommodations at Baha Mar.

Amenities will include the 18-hole, 72-par championship Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at Baha Mar, 200,000 square feet of combined state-of-the-art convention facilities including a 2,000-seat performing arts center and an art gallery with the largest curated collection of Bahamian art; 40 nightclubs and bars; two spas, including the 30,000-square-foot destination spa ESPA at Baha Mar; designer retail boutiques and 20 acres of landscaped beach and pool experiences including a beachfront sanctuary with native Bahamian flora and fauna.

For more information, please visit www.bahamar.com

The badly burned body of a man was discovered at the back of a church, off Cowpen Road, yesterday, police said.

The discovery was made after 10 a.m. Superintendent Paul Rolle said police believe someone dumped the body there the night before. It was found behind Refuge Tabernacle on Refuge Court.

"I think persons were looking for somewhere to dispose of the body," he said. Rolle, who heads the Central Detective Unit (CDU), said the body was wrapped in a sheet.

A small crowd gathered as police removed it. Gwendolyn Major, 87, who has lived in the area for 25 years, said she called the police after someone told her about the body.

Major lives across the street from the church. "The gentleman who was working on my place...he came and told me that he saw the body," she said. "He asked me if I saw the fire.

I told him I didn't see a fire. So I called my son, who is on the force and [the police] came to investigate it." The elderly woman said crime is out of control.

"It really [doesn't] feel good," she said. "I really don't sit on the porch [any] more. When the grandchildren go out to play on the porch, I call them in.

Every day you're hearing something. In my time I never knew these things." Refuge Tabernacle Administrator Sivlean Rolle-Johnson said she was shocked to learn that the body was disposed of on the church's grounds. "I'm lost for words," she said.

"I don't know what's happening in our little country." "If one can go to the extent of killing a human being...and taking him or her on grounds that are supposed to be holy grounds, what do you think that person wouldn't do?" she asked.

"We are definitely living in troubled times. "It's astonishing. I'm lost for words. We need prayers." The church has reportedly decreased the number of night services due to the fear of crime among churchgoers.

Superintendent Rolle said police are uncertain how the man died. Police were also uncertain of his identify. Rolle said police would likely have to perform a DNA analysis to identify the victim.

There have been eight homicides in the past week.

The government did not pay for the advice of the New Zealand experts on value-added tax (VAT), however it paid the American economists who recently presented the government with a draft report on the tax model, Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis said yesterday.

However, Halkitis could not say exactly how much the government paid the Americans consultants.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Perry Christie said a group of economists would undertake a final study on VAT to address concerns related to the tax.

Halkitis said yesterday the government is reviewing the economists' initial report.

As a part of their work, Halkitis said that the economists will also review the options offered by the Coalition for Responsible Taxation when it presents its report to the government sometime next month.

Regarding the two New Zealand experts, Halkitis said the government only paid for their travel expenses from New Providence to Grand Bahama.

The experts traveled to Grand Bahama last week to address officials on VAT. Last year, Christie said New Zealand's prime minister had offered to send people to The Bahamas who can explain the benefits his country has received from VAT.

On Friday, New Zealand VAT expert John Shewan told reporters that it would be difficult for the government to meet its proposed start date of July 1.

Shewan also noted that detailed education campaigns are critical to successful VAT implementation. Halkitis confirmed that the government will delay the implementation of VAT.

He said yesterday the advice from the experts was "very useful".

"At the end of the day, the fact remains that the tax system needs to be reformed and these consultants and others that we have previously engaged have told us that the VAT is a far superior option than payroll or income tax," he said.

Several members of the business community have petitioned for a payroll tax instead of VAT. Halkitis said the New Zealand experts helped the government to get more support for VAT.

The New Zealanders presented the government with a final report yesterday. "I have also consulted several other ministers of finance who have VAT and they have shared their experience," Halkitis said.

"So we have had a lot of advice from many sources. "What they all say is that prior to the implementation, they experienced exactly what we are experiencing in terms of opposition.

"Once the implementation took place, the new system becomes accepted and even political parties who all threaten to repeal it, never follow through on their threats because they see the value of having a broad-based consumption tax in place."

Opposition Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis said he would repeal any tax introduced by the current administration that causes pain, suffering and undue stress to Bahamians if the FNM wins the next election.

Halkitis told The Nassau Guardian if VAT comes on stream this year, it would not be until the last quarter.

He also revealed that New Zealand VAT consultants have recommended the government introduce the tax at a rate of seven or 10 percent. The government originally proposed 15 percent.

Dear Editor,

So we have experts from New Zealand here to advise our government on VAT. Let's really think about this for a second. Here's a quick comparison of the two countries:

New Zealand, in 2012, had one murder per 100,000 persons. The Bahamas had 33 Murders per 100,000 persons. Wow.

New Zealand has one of the world's best educational products. The Bahamas does not.

New Zealand is one the least corrupt countries on earth. The Bahamas... Well, we know!

New Zealand has a robust Freedom of Information Act, which greatly empowers its citizens. The Bahamas does not.

New Zealand has an Office of the Ombudsman that packs a punch. The Bahamas does not.

New Zealanders have very high confidence in their government. Bahamians have very little (even when ya party in power).

New Zealand has a national lottery. The Bahamas has illegal web shops enriching a few individuals.

The New Zealand civil service is mostly by contract or private management. The Bahamas... Hugely overstaffed and underperforming.

New Zealand has clear separation between church and state (majority are non-religious). The Bahamas is 96 percent Christian, with religion entrenched in education and the way of life.

So...why on earth would we think anything implemented in this country could possibly resemble what's happening in New Zealand?

The differences are just too vast. The New Zealand consultants shouldn't be here for VAT.

They should be here to show our government how to govern!

- Farrell Goff