Missed opportunity on gambling
thenassauguardian editorial:
In democratic societies, laws exist with the consent of the people. Without that consent, no law can be enforced. It can even be argued that no law is legitimate if the people do not support it.
It is clear from the large number of number houses that openly operate in The Bahamas that a significant number of Bahamians want to gamble.
The number houses advertise in the media, they donate to state agencies, they announce the numbers of the day on television and some have corporate offices in the center of Nassau.
Yet we as a nation still seek to run away from the logical position that the law should be changed, allowing Bahamians to gamble.
Keeping rules in place that cannot be enforced sends the message that people can defy the law, and there are no consequences to this defiance.
And yet again, the church is standing in the way of logic and reasonableness.
Gambling is legal in many parts of the United States. Its unemployment rate is around 10 percent. Gambling is legal in Canada. Its unemployment rate is around 8 percent.
Gambling is illegal for Bahamians and our unemployment rate is near 15 percent. The legalization of gambling has not destroyed those countries and caused mass poverty.
The church has a right to advocate its position. It should not be allowed to dictate policy, however.
The government is in financial crisis. It has to borrow to meet its responsibilities.
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham says they project that the government could take in $30 to 40 million in tax revenue from a fully legalized gambling business.
Having backed down largely from the threat of going to war with local clerics, where now is the government going to get this revenue from in a time of financial crisis?
The church won't provide the funds. Its operations are virtually tax-free. Governments of The Bahamas have also given churches deep concessionary rates on the purchase of Crown land for their operations.
Instead of bringing this industry into the open and taxing number bosses who make millions annually, and those who wish to play, the government will now hike taxes in other areas to compensate for the lost revenue.
The prime minister missed an opportunity to end this decades long debate on gambling with decisive action. However, his announcement that the Free National Movement will commit to a referendum offers some hope.
If the FNM wins the next general election, and the referendum takes place, right thinking Bahamians need to make sure their voices are heard on this issue once and for all.
Those who do not want to gamble do not have to. This is a free society.
Bahamians should be free to choose how they wish to spend their money on reasonable activities just as church leaders are free to spend church funds on what they wish to.
May 26, 2010
thenassauguardian
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
Showing posts with label legalised numbers business Bahamas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legalised numbers business Bahamas. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Government drops plans to legalise the numbers business in The Bahamas
Govt drops plans to legalise numbers business
By TANEKA THOMPSON AND KARIN HERIG
Tribune Staff Reporters
tthompson@tribunemedia.net and kherig@tribunemedia.net:
AS the government dropped plans to legalise the numbers business for the time being, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham warned last night that other taxes will have to be introduced instead to sustain the Bahamian economy.
Mr Ingraham said his government had hoped that the licencing and taxation of a legalised numbers business would bring a revenue of between $30million and $40million annually.
Bringing the illegal numbers business into the formal economy would therefore have spared the Bahamian public new taxes which will be introduced in the House of Assembly tomorrow when the budget debate for the new fiscal year starts.
Speaking with The Tribune from his office in the Cecil Wallace-Whitfield Building, Mr Ingraham said: "We knew we had to increase taxes in the Bahamas in the forthcoming budget period, that that was unavoidable. We thought that the revenue we would get from the number business would assist in reducing the number of taxes we had to impose upon the public.
"We have to get the revenue from somewhere."
Without going into details about the taxes he will introduce, Mr Ingraham said they are necessary to "sustain the Bahamian economy, reduce growth in government debt, provide essential public services and keep employed the people who are employed by the government".
He said: "That's a reality."
The Cabinet Office announced yesterday, after consultation with a wide range of community leaders and other citizens including leaders of the church, the government has decided not to proceed with the legalisation of the numbers business.
"The consultation clearly showed that there is presently not a national consensus on this matter and that, in fact, there are strong feelings on both sides of the issue," a statement said.
Instead, the government proposes that a referendum should be held on the issue after the next General Election so that the will of the people on this issue can be determined.
Referendum
Mr Ingraham said yesterday his government decided against holding a referendum before the next election as it did not want to mix up the two.
Mr Ingraham pointed out that gambling was not the FNM's "issue".
He said it was not something they promised they would address during this term in office.
As to the support and opposition to the legalising of the numbers business, the Prime Minister said consultation has shown that there is strong support for it, as there is against it, and that views diverge regardless of party or religious denomination. Yesterday, the Archbishop Patrick Pinder, leader of the Roman Catholic community in the Bahamas, said that in his view, the law should not be changed to support legalised gambling. He said the laws as they are now appear "intended to exercise an abundance of necessary caution for the good of individuals and the community as a whole." (See Page Two for story).
The Cabinet Office's statement said supporters of both political parties represented in Parliament hold opposing views.
"Also, the consultation revealed that even within most religious denominations there are divergent views.
"There are pressing national challenges that require the focussed and united attention of government, church and the nation as a whole at this time, particularly violent crime and an economy battered by the global recession," the statement said.
As to how the numbers business - which Mr Ingraham said his government has also considered illegal - will be dealt with in future, the Prime Minister said it will dealt with as it has been so far.
May 25, 2010
tribune242
By TANEKA THOMPSON AND KARIN HERIG
Tribune Staff Reporters
tthompson@tribunemedia.net and kherig@tribunemedia.net:
AS the government dropped plans to legalise the numbers business for the time being, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham warned last night that other taxes will have to be introduced instead to sustain the Bahamian economy.
Mr Ingraham said his government had hoped that the licencing and taxation of a legalised numbers business would bring a revenue of between $30million and $40million annually.
Bringing the illegal numbers business into the formal economy would therefore have spared the Bahamian public new taxes which will be introduced in the House of Assembly tomorrow when the budget debate for the new fiscal year starts.
Speaking with The Tribune from his office in the Cecil Wallace-Whitfield Building, Mr Ingraham said: "We knew we had to increase taxes in the Bahamas in the forthcoming budget period, that that was unavoidable. We thought that the revenue we would get from the number business would assist in reducing the number of taxes we had to impose upon the public.
"We have to get the revenue from somewhere."
Without going into details about the taxes he will introduce, Mr Ingraham said they are necessary to "sustain the Bahamian economy, reduce growth in government debt, provide essential public services and keep employed the people who are employed by the government".
He said: "That's a reality."
The Cabinet Office announced yesterday, after consultation with a wide range of community leaders and other citizens including leaders of the church, the government has decided not to proceed with the legalisation of the numbers business.
"The consultation clearly showed that there is presently not a national consensus on this matter and that, in fact, there are strong feelings on both sides of the issue," a statement said.
Instead, the government proposes that a referendum should be held on the issue after the next General Election so that the will of the people on this issue can be determined.
Referendum
Mr Ingraham said yesterday his government decided against holding a referendum before the next election as it did not want to mix up the two.
Mr Ingraham pointed out that gambling was not the FNM's "issue".
He said it was not something they promised they would address during this term in office.
As to the support and opposition to the legalising of the numbers business, the Prime Minister said consultation has shown that there is strong support for it, as there is against it, and that views diverge regardless of party or religious denomination. Yesterday, the Archbishop Patrick Pinder, leader of the Roman Catholic community in the Bahamas, said that in his view, the law should not be changed to support legalised gambling. He said the laws as they are now appear "intended to exercise an abundance of necessary caution for the good of individuals and the community as a whole." (See Page Two for story).
The Cabinet Office's statement said supporters of both political parties represented in Parliament hold opposing views.
"Also, the consultation revealed that even within most religious denominations there are divergent views.
"There are pressing national challenges that require the focussed and united attention of government, church and the nation as a whole at this time, particularly violent crime and an economy battered by the global recession," the statement said.
As to how the numbers business - which Mr Ingraham said his government has also considered illegal - will be dealt with in future, the Prime Minister said it will dealt with as it has been so far.
May 25, 2010
tribune242
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