The facts are starting to become clearer about FutureCare. It’s likely to cost a hell of a lot of gombey pesos at a time when the Bermuda Government is scratching it’s head wondering where all the money went.
I would like to remind you that back in 2008, Government said that a “total income tax” might be required to fund FutureCare.
And let that thought linger …
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The PLP dropped the municipalities takeover as a bombshell late in Dr. Brown’s term. Many questions were raised about the huge sums allocated to law firms for the reform effort … yet there has been little visible evidence of consultation nor talk of reform.
One has to wonder if this is about reform at all. I wonder if the costly advice was really about how to slide through the takeover, rather than how genuine reform might be achieved. That theory is certainly supported by the draft law: it’s clear to me there is little public support for taking over the corporations, and the law seems to seek to crush them financially as an alternative. Very tricky … but we’ve come to expect that, haven’t we?
It is being shoved through late in the Parliamentary session where, through poor planning, there are so many backlogged bills that they will need to add extra meetings next week.
Finally, let’s question whose priorities are running this country. The takeover was a late entrant in Dr. Brown’s destructathon. It gets bullied through like the proverbial shit through a goose.
By contrast, PATI has been an official goal of the PLP for a decade – one that I strongly support and applaud. The law is written, many consultations have occurred, we’re ready to rock. But apparently, yet again, there’s no time for it in this Parliamentary session. They want to claim it without actually having it. No, there are other prioritie$.
The new forty thieves are at work.
Polls show that the Bermudian public is strongly against the attempted takeover by the central Bermuda Government of the currently independent municipal corporations.
Whether this is a statement of support for the Corporations, or a vote of no confidence in the PLP Government, is debatable.
But the takeover is a fixation of the Premier, and he appears … as usual … to have bent the PLP caucus to his will.
Based on news reports of the draft law, the PLP’s approach (for now they own it) to taking over the corporations is worrying and part of a pattern.
The rumours have been rife for years that Tourism’s steadfast failure to procure cruise ships for Hamilton and St George was really an attempt to starve those towns of revenue, forcing it all to Government-controlled Dockyard.
And also the Government takeover of Par La Ville raises eyebrows. You may remember that City Hall has lead the way in lining up an urban hotel developer – yet was cut out in a press conference held by the Premier and the developer last year. Hmm. This takeover will deprive the City of even more revenue for which it has worked hard. And, given the array of questionable hotel deals in which Government has been involved in recent years, it will fuel the stink and rumour about dirty dealings in that sector.
The PLP plan – rather than introduce the reform that they say is needed – instead aims to starve the Corporation of Hamilton of revenue by depriving it of tax revenues, while taxing it. The PLP knows that the public does not and will not support a law to take over the City … so it appears they are taking the sneak attack approach to crush it financially.
This is not reform – reform is not the focus of the draft law. Money is the focus. Surprised, anyone?
In my opinion the Premier’s approach goes to the heart of the matter, that this is really about power and money, not reform. This bill is destructive and will put jobs and services at risk in a time when Bermuda is already under significant social and economic pressure. The rancour and sneaky tactics also cause deep distress amongst observers of Bermuda – including both our residents and our international business customers – about exactly what is going on here.
If adopted, I predict the current draft law will be a disaster for the municipalities and for Bermuda. Stick a fork in it. Ball’s in your court PLP backbenchers…
The ImmiMininator has explained why he ripped up the Mayor of Hamilton’s letter:
“It was a speech he gave on March 21, 2010 when he talked a whole bunch of crap and I was offended … I sent it back because I want that man to know and the rest of them to know that if you disrespect people, that is what you will get back in return.”
At last: common ground!
I feel exactly the same way about a lot of the crap the PLP ministers hurl at me. I am offended. And I want them to know that if you disrespect the public, that is what you will get back in return.
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So, it’s official. Government is trying to raise a half billion dollars in debt to cover their “spending addiction”.
Of interest is that the fact that the debt will take the form of “fixed bullet” bonds. This means the bond is not callable, and we will pay the entire principal back at the maturity date in 2020.
Given Government’s recent history of raiding the “sinking fund”, how much do you want to bet that in 2020 they don’t have $500,000,000 in the kitty and end up rolling it over into more debt? But what do they care, it will be someone else’s problem then.
The PLP seem to like naming things after themselves. I propose that we call this the “Ewart F. Brown National Debt.”
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So, the Doc is throwing a farewell gala. No change there: in my opinion, he’s treated his whole term in office like a taxpayer funded party.
Come pay to play while Rome burns. And then perhaps we can start the hard work to clean up the mess that he has left?
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FinMin and aspiring Premier Paula Cox said in Parliament yesterday:
“I would like to unequivocally state that the current Government is capable of running the financial affairs of this Country and continues to exhibit good stewardship of the public purse and has done so since coming into office.”
I would like to unequivocally state that the facts indicate otherwise. In fact, Government’s own Auditor indicates otherwise in reports released by the Public Accounts Committee yesterday.
We have a out-of control Government budget, a doubling of Government staff, massive deficits, gargantuan debt, infantile behavior from major politicians, and an economy teetering on the brink. That’s the track record, and there is little sign that the PLP is capable of reforming it going forward.
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FinMin Cox has announced that exempt companies could be allowed to buy hospitality units on hotel properties for use as residential units. The developers are celebrating, but is this a good “sustainable” idea for Bermuda?
In my opinion, it’s totally schizophrenic. Just think:
The PLP has been bullying Bermudians with foreign spouses saying Government needed to protect land ownership for future generations of Bermudians. Then they turn around and facilitate the sale of property to foreign corporations (and provide tax concessions on top of it!) Does. Not. Compute.
With the slump in employment, the executive rental market has already slumped. Will this Government move further hurt Bermudian landlords/taxpayers?
Will the move hurt the hoteliers, who depend on “price insensitive” business travellers to boost their margins?
Is this an admission that more exempt companies – pissed off by the term limits insanity – are bringing “commuter execs” in for short stints rather than basing them and their families here full time?
Much is made of the hotel concessions first introduced by David Allen. In my view they were indisciplined as they, essentially, drove the mass conversion of Bermuda’s small hotels into condos. They did not rejuvenate the industry, which today is totally driven by low margin cruise visitors.
Government is desperate for good news in tourism to the point that they will fund a three star hotel using a low cost housing project. Seriously, does that sound like a good idea to anyone?
To me, this announcement is a gesture of throwing in the towel. You can pretend they are hotels, but more and more they are sounding like expat residential developments.
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I love St. George’s. It is unique. I hope to see it thrive.
But … the headline that Government is considering a 1 cent tax on every fuel sale to subsidize the town … I sure hope that’s a goofy trial balloon that gets popped quickly.
This is not a $1.2 million gift to the town; it’s another $1.2 million in taxes extracted from the community.
If Government wants to help St. George’s, it should do so by getting more cruise traffic there and by getting development going at the Club Med site. The town needs a lift, not a handout.
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In the fuss over Dr. Brown’s celebrity hunting safari to South Africa, the Sergeant of Arms of the House today announced that the Premier has attended 22 of the 27 meetings this session. And Jamahl came out with some pointless vituperation. He may make think he’s scored some points, but in reality he’s just hammering home the PLP’s reputation for petty nastiness.
On the point of parliamentary attendance, it is worth noting that if an MP checks into the House at any time, even if they only stay briefly, their attendance is recorded as if they were there all day. A more telling statistic would be MPs’ participation in votes in the House.
UPDATE: If I had an employee who was proud of only showing up to work 81% of the time, I’d fire him.
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