OBA: Retail Sales Fall A ‘Result Of Govt Policies’
Twelve consecutive months of falls in retail sales volume are a “direct result of Government policies,” according to Shadow Finance Minister Nick Kempe.
“We have seen the Sugar Tax increase grocery bills, we have seen small Bermudian businesses hit with the dividend tax and we’ve seen increases in Government spending and related taxation,” Senator Kempe said.
“Business and consumer confidence is down yet Government continues to spend and tax. The effects of all the new taxes in this year’s budget have yet to be felt but will all take money out of people’s pockets and will surely further inhibit their ability to spend in local businesses.
“To make matters worse, employees and employers in the private sector will be disproportionately hit by Government’s recent rushed health care ‘reform’ which does nothing to tackle runaway health care costs.
“While the Payroll Tax concessions were given to employers in IB and only the largest select retailers, there was nothing for the rest of Bermudian business in other industries or for the smaller players in the retail sector.
“That needs to change as small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and employ thousands of Bermudians. There has been nothing to help them.
“The OBA has stated that a clear and welcoming immigration policy is needed to ensure that we can attract the global expertise and capital needed to grow our stagnant economy and drastically increase our working population.
“The OBA had a successful twin track policy – reduce Government expenditure while creating economic stimuli such as the America’s Cup which put some $340m into the economy and construction projects such as the hotels and airport – the only projects underway that have contributed to an increased GDP.
Senator Kempe concluded, “This Government has failed to control its spending, it has increased the cost of living and failed to stimulate the economy.”
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Nick your party has failed to change the name from UBP to OBA! When are you going to be leader or is Craig really the smartest MP to lead? If that’s a yes it’s a political lie lololol.
Why are you ignoring the message?
Maybe because the obaUBPeeee didn’t fix anything while they were in power accept maybe spend $70 mill on sailboat race.
Are you really this ignorant of the facts?
Which created $340m for the economy and which should have been the launchpad for even more events – if the plp had not stuck its head in the sand
That’s a lie! You are ignorant of the facts! The PWC report was a travesty and did not reflect any core and legacy expenses nor where the mythical $300m went! A total fabrication!
Yeah because an established and reputable INTERNATIONAL company would risk everything and lose everything to lie and fake a report for the BDA Govt. Yeah that makes sense….MORON!!
moron
@Hmmmmm has the typical deflection response. Funny how he or she has an issue with UBP , but the PLP is being led by Swan, Simmons, Furbert and others that were former leaders in the UBP?! Hmmmmm
JAWS says:
May 27, 2019
TRUTH BE TOLD YOU SHOULD TRY TO HELP YOUR UBP PARTY AND TRY TO FIND OUT WHY…………….. ALL THE BLACK VOTERS THAT SUPPORTED THE UBP OVER THE YEARS FLIPPED FLOPPED OVER TO THE PLP………….. WHICH IS THE VERY REASON THE ELECTION RESULTS ARE 25 to 11!!
BRING IN THE CONSULTANTS!!!
Thank you Jaws for being honest. The oba aka UBP will always avoid the truth.
Its actually pretty simple…. there are more poor, uneducated voters now than there ever were, and many, such as yourself, do not care about policies and outcomes, as long as what you envisage as the ‘ubp’ is not in charge… have i summed up your political motivation yet?
and the plpeeeeeee will never speak the truth
You forgot to throw in some of that tedious and childish 25-11 gloating while you were at it .
Now, what’s your explanation for the major decline in business , the economy and confidence overall since 2017 ? To pinpoint it a bit more , since the last election if that helps you .
That’s not childish it’s a fact. Jetgate craigy is the smartest man to lead the OBA and you got your a$$ beat 25 PLP to 11 oba. Thus the reason you kicked out the Sour Milk Man.
Ignore the argument…deflector shields set to maximum.
Idiot.
They cant help it. Stupid is as stupid does. They love getting shafted as long as its their party doing it lmao. Even if they suffer more……….HAHAHAHAHA. 25-11 tho right?! Lmao
Facts hurt eh?
17 years of failure. Nothing but utter failure. But keep deflecting.
Maybe PLP should do what OBA did, get $77 Million and share it among their friends to go on a spending spree to boost the ecomony.
They’ve already done that many times , starting with Berkely .At least with the ‘sailboat race’ the whole island benefited .
BS! Pure BS! The elitists did well and scraps were thrown to us!
…..and what have the PLP come up with that is equal to or better then the Americans Cup? More taxes??? How’s that working out for ya?
Actually, if it were targeted at long term growth opportunities, spending to stimulate isn’t a bad thing.
Problem is, the PLP aren’t too sharp when it comes to that kind of thing (GLobalHue; Beyoncé etc.) nor to they have the ability to create a grand vision. They are also too wrapped up in race, and are focused on looking backwards. They are conservative rather than progressive.
I’ll ignore the quip about the $77m (although glad you now acknowledge it was $77m not $100M). Even by your standards, that’s pretty weak sauce.
There is nothing wrong with investing to boost the economy, as long as it works. With AC, it did work. And it was $67m, not $77m.
The PLP blew $70m+ of borrowed money on Grand Atlantic. A colossal waste of money. Benefits nobody. Stands empty, 8 years later. Amateurs.
too many facts, its hurting their heads…. 25-11!!!! oba=ubp
do you think before you write or speak, you need serious help in the brain dept you are one highly lost un informed blind to fact individual.
“Nick your party has failed to change the name from UBP to OBA!”
@hmmm – what does that even mean? Did you finish high school or for that matter ANY school.
You absolute DUMMY – at least now we can see why you will never prosper. Too bad.
Austerity brings prosperity,
(Ask those who delay gratification for things of value),
Robbery brings poverty,
(Bermuda is poor look at who is getting taxed).
The election of 2017 was about money. Many in the electorate thought the plp could return it to their pockets painlessly.
The America’s Cup benefitted those in the West-end more than any other demographic. Now, that very demographic is losing houses faster than any other.
Retail sales are falling off the cliff and we can never use the America’s Cup event as a benefit to boost tourism; no Air BnB boost for the West-end. A little tact could have led to the Bermuda’s Cup an America’s Cup knock off and a Air BnB windfall.
The foreclosures of those in eh West-end continues, while the promise of easy money has vanished.
Rubbish!!
Sales were depleting during the O.B.A.reign of terror.
O.B.A. accepts no responsibility for anything.
That is why they lost out in the 2017 election.
Kempe still does not get it!!
These ridiculous comments are meaningless.
O.B.A.messed up the public school system too.Terrible!! Left school buildings in a toxic mess!! Gombeys!!
Quite discriminatory too in bringing in foreigners who could care a damn about locals!!Threw cars and jobs towards them in order to boost their “OWN” NUMBERS.
Get over it, Kempe!
Wow still blaming the OBA when the PLP have been in power for a total of 16 years now. How’s that working out for your cost of living these days. Sheep will blindly follow anything over a cliff.
PLP still has people believing that all is well and they are putting more money in people’s pockets. Oh at Fintech is gonna save the day.
So far sales are down which means business is bad. Businesses continue to close.They have raised every tax and now the PLP have hit us in the pocketbook again by increasing healh $230 per person . That’s their way of saving us money. LOL
Maybe you should check some facts.
The standard PLP response – attack the messenger. You must be one of the PR consultants. The PLP is the Government 2 years ago and is totaling failing Bermudians as proven by statistics, not lies. If the economy was flat there would be a huge press conference with all the PLP MPs surrounding the Finance Minister. By the way, the PLP have approved many new expats but you won’t hear of them from the PLP.
There it is. The stupidest f*****g thing I’ve read all day.
Yet another lie from you. All you do is lie when facts are in plain sight. Do you expect to be taken seriously?
I simply cannot believe that you actually believe what you post. If you do, there really is no hope for you.
Plp – in power for 16 of the last 20 years. What did they do except utterly ruin the country’s finances putting us all in one big financial straight jacket that generations to come will fail to struggle free of!
it is simple as that… PLP in powe for over 80% of the last 20years…. how have we done?
Inequality at its highest, economy at its lowest, and people still voting based on the shade of one epidermis hahhahaha enjoy poverty
“This Government has failed to control its spending, it has increased the cost of living and failed to stimulate the economy.”
It could not be stated more clearly than that.
I blame TRUMP.
Of course. You blame everyone in sight, except for the people who actually caused it.
As usual
You have nothing to say
I blame you and the other sheep that put this party in power again.
I blame the UBP or Oba as your called today for confusing the voters by changing names every time they lose.
you’re
Your eyes may wide open but your mind is closed.
If the voters are that easily confused, then perhaps the right to vote should be removed?
But truth be told there is more UBP in the PLP than the OBA go figure same bunch a fools spinning the same nonsense
Yup. Two former ubp leaders – not sure what jamahl was but fo not forget he was nlp as well. He is the original flip flop
Kim Swan, ex UBP Leader now PLP MP is congratulating the rebirth of the St George’s golf course, when it was Ewart Brown as PLP Premier who destroyed it along with the hotel and the OBA who got St Regis to build the new hotel and rebuild the golf course. Talk about Bermuda is another world. Yet plenty of people will believe what Kim says. Not even 12 months of retail sales decline will hit home.
TRUTH BE TOLD YOU SHOULD TRY TO HELP YOUR UBP PARTY AND TRY TO FIND OUT WHY…………….. ALL THE BLACK VOTERS THAT SUPPORTED THE UBP OVER THE YEARS FLIPPED FLOPPED OVER TO THE PLP………….. WHICH IS THE VERY REASON THE ELECTION RESULTS ARE 25 to 11!!
BRING IN THE CONSULTANTS!!!
THe 25-11 result is simply because the PLP/BIU/PC trifecta created a very effective populist message. The fact it wasn’t true and that the PLP have been shown, yet again, to be ineffective seems to be lost on you.
It’s not a team sport, it’s about the survival of Bermuda.
17-21 years of utter failure.
The PLP commentators note that decline happened under the OBA as well. This is true to a degree, but the OBA wanted to increase internal demand for goods and services. They had a plan. I respect the PLP voters and supporters, but guys, even you must be getting a bit nervous about our retail sales figures. The United States, our tradditional harbinger of economic wellbeing or demise, is booming, yet we are not feeling it. It is like we have been decoupled from our tradditional market.
Is there a plan? The Government cannot keep applying more stress in the form of taxation. Everyone is feeling it. It is an observation, not meant as a critisism.
Clem, it is criticism as 12 months of month on month decline is a total failure. What has the PLP produced so far? Arbitrade. How has that worked out? A total scam. People love to look down on Jamaica, but they have just announced a new 8,000 room hotel to be built. That’s more than all the rooms in Bermuda! Welcomed foreign investment, does the PLP listen? Clearly no, they have to pamper to their voter base – Bermuda for Bermudians. Good luck because that is back to the plantations.
Is there a plan? The $64m question…. literally
Nope. None. No ideas, no plan, no clue.
To think we the majority of people let these fools rule us…when will we say enough is enough after all we the people have the power.
Let’s keep them in power a couple more years, bunch of geniuses.
its as simple as this
plp have no plan …don’t have the required ability to get us out of the hole they dug…they don’t know what to do …its pretty apparent look at the real facts …crime is increasing the middle class is being squeezed …those living below the poverty line is increasing ….THEY MUST RESIGN
OBA had a chance but they let their true colours show by disregarding the average Bermudian and catered to the undeserved privileged.
Change your name all you want, a pig always finds its way back to wallow in mud.
How’s that average Bermudian feeling now? If they are not feeling stupid, then they shouldn’t be allowed to handle anything more than sharp scissors.
go look at inequality numbers onion juice… your party has increased inequality by a significant margin over the last 20 years… it has gotten worse not better, do you feel better off than you did in 1998? i sure don’t, we are significantly behind in every way now, they have done nothing for us
Yes oj those undeserved privileged that threw over 300 million at us. God u are stupid. 25-11 bro. Keep it coming lmao. Whats in your wallet?
So what was wrong with the ubp… just because they got stale and plp managed to get in and ruin Bermuda, why is it that plp supporters are soooo anti OBA. The OBA actually did good things for Bermuda. Where the PLP has done nothing but ruin it for Bermudians and Bermuda from day 1.
When you have Cabinet minsters that make racial slurs and insult our foreign investors, they will not want to live here or do business with Bermuda. Burt doesn’t get it, the UBP and OBA were successful because they employ honest intelligent people that are liked and respected by our foreign investors.
What do you expect of a govt that tagets a particular race for guest visitor…don’t they know that’s racism!?!?
Pathetic…all that work behind us and it raises its’ fugly head and plp embraces it…..
Totally oblivious…