My initial concern was getting the facts straight as to what I actually stated. I thank Mr Lowe for his attempt to correct himself.
Secondly, I do not miss the point about government spending....or overspending as you put it. And I am not a proponent of government abusing the country's resources or overspending, so I'm perplexed relative to where that suggestion comes from.
As for what I said about taxing the wealthy, in the column I wrote:
"It is high-time that taxes are applied to, and raised (following the American format), on the wealthy and those persons making above a certain salary each year." I stand by this statement and American administrations-whether Republican or Democrat-have seen the value in the same.
In no way would I ever suggest over taxing and/or over regulation. But a streamlined structure must be in place. However, a fact of life, in any developed or developing country, is that taxes are necessary. Because we have no streamlined tax structure in the Bahamas, this is why citizens can gripe about this and that and whatever else and it is, frankly, part of the reason why the country incurs so much debt and must borrow so much. There is a need for a streamlined system of taxation, value-added maybe (as suggested by the IMF).....that's just a fact, the current pie-in-the-sky outlook on governance and the Bahamas cannot work without adopting such first world practices.
No one wants to pay lots of taxes, not me, not anyone......but when you look at the infrastructure and improvements and development in first-world countries, the reason that is so is because the citizens commit to paying taxes in a streamlined structure.....with a value added tax, for example, the government can eliminate certain other taxes. A give and take of sorts.
I see your opposition to government overspending, but it would be great for you to actually point to the areas in the Bahamas where you feel the government is overspending?
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