DAVIS SAYS MANY HOMES FACING HARDSHIPS
NASSAU, Bahamas, November 13, 2023 — On the final night of the Progressive Liberal Party’s national convention at Baha Mar Convention Center on Friday night, Prime Minister Philip E. Davis acknowledged that “hardship” remains in many homes and he put businesses on notice that the government will not tolerate them keeping their prices high, even after import duties have been cut, The Nassau Guardian reported in today’s edition.
Davis told delegates and the audience listening via multiple platforms that there is still too much economic power concentrated in too few hands.
“That’s why we’re the new day government,” he said, “because the old day left out too many people.”
The prime minister said his administration cannot postpone the fight against the high cost of living.
“We are making unprecedented investments in agriculture,” he said.
“Growing more of our food at home will lower food prices for families, keep more of our money inside our country, and create a new wave of successful Bahamian entrepreneurs.
“But I want to also be clear to wholesalers and retailers.
“When your prices reflect global inflation, it’s one thing. But when you keep your prices high even after we cut your import duties – because there ain’t enough competition to cause you to lower them – that’s something we can’t tolerate.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The prime minister last year announced the removal of customs duty from roughly three dozen food items amid a historic rise in inflation.
The majority of the food items that were made duty-free had a duty rate of five percent.
On Friday, Davis also again put employers on notice regarding work permits.
He said, “Work permits will not be approved if a Bahamian is qualified and wants that job, and if there isn’t a Bahamian in that position now, they better be training one to be ready when the current work permit expires, because I will not tolerate limits on what Bahamians can achieve in our own country.”
It was a familiar warning, one made repeatedly over the years by prime ministers, ministers of immigration and labor, and directors of immigration and labor.
See complete article in The Nassau Guardian at https://www.thenassauguardian.com/news/pm-warns-businesses/article_ad8121f2-822c-11ee-a573-8fd9d1d55d76.html
