10182023 BUSINESS by tribune242

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2023

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By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A BAHAMIAN insurer will “only start panicking” if The Bahamas remains blacklisted by the European Union (EU) post-February 2024 as he yesterday sought to ease fears about coverage cost and capacity. Anton Saunders, RoyalStar Assurance’s managing director, told Tribune Business that this nation’s failure to escape the EU’s “non-cooperative

jurisdictions for tax purposes” in yesterday’s review will not prove fatal for the Bahamian property and casualty industry’s ability to retain reinsurance cover in the short-term. While he and other insurers had previously voiced alarm if The Bahamas failed to exit the EU blacklist this month, given the potentially negative consequences for German reinsurers that provide more than one-third of this nation’s reinsurance capacity, Mr Saunders yesterday voiced confidence that the Davis administration

had “done everything possible” to secure the country’s escape. Voicing optimism that an exit will be achieved at the next review in early 2024, the RoyalStar chief told this newspaper: “I didn’t think we were going to escape it this October, but I think the Government has done everything possible so we should be off in February. If not, then I will start panicking. “We all knew this was probably not going to happen this year, so reinsurers will put a clause in their treaties which says we’re on it come January

1, 2025, we will not be able to do business with you and will cancel your contracts as of December 31, 2024, and pay you whatever we owe you.” Speaking from Europe, where is doing the rounds of reinsurers ahead of coverage and treaty renewals for 2024, Mr Saunders said of the EU decision on The Bahamas: “This didn’t come as as surprise. We had met with the Prime Minister, we had met with the Attorney General [Ryan Pinder

SEE PAGE B4

Gov’t: EU’s outdated review keeps Bahamas blacklisted

Web shop loses challenge over $1m Gaming Board ‘withdrawal’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE GOVERNMENT yesterday accused the European Union (EU) of relying on outdated information to keep The Bahamas blacklisted, as a Cabinet minister said: “We’re doing everything in our power to get it right”. Ryan Pinder KC, the attorney general, who had previously voiced optimism that The Bahamas would be delisted this month, told Tribune Business the Davis administration was “rather disappointed but not surprised” that this nation has not been permitted to escape what is a 16 nationstrong tax ‘blacklist’. He explained that the EU based its decision on an April 2023 report by

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RYAN PINDER KC

EU to brand The Bahamas a “non-cooperative jurisdiction” for tax purposes in October 2022. However, the EU takes its cue on this issue from the OECD’s Forum for Harmful Tax Practices, given that both bodies’ tax and “economic substance” initiatives overlap to some extent. Given the nature of this relationship, Mr Pinder questioned the “logic” of the EU making its decision, and relying on an outdated assessment, before the

Forum on Harmful Tax Practices’ next meeting which is scheduled for later this month. He added that he was “cautiously optimistic” that The Bahamas’ reforms, and progress in implementing them, will receive a “favourable review” from the OECD body which - had it come out earlier - could have influenced the EU to take a different approach to this country with its own blacklist. As a result, he described The Bahamas’ continued blacklisting as “a timing issue”, and hinted at optimism this nation will no

SEE PAGE B4

Opposition chief slams Gov’t over EU blacklist By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Opposition’s leader yesterday slammed the Government’s failure to secure The Bahamas’ escape from the European Union’s (EU) tax blacklist almost two years MICHAEL PINTARD after it pledged to resolve all concerns. Michael Pintard, while committing the Free National Movement (FNM) to “stand with” the Davis administration against “the arbitrary rules” and double standards imposed on nations such as The Bahamas, accused the Government of failing to live up to promises of securing this nation’s exit from the 27-nation bloc’s listing. In particular, he referred to the three letters signed by Prime Minister Philip Davis KC over a six-week period between December 15, 2021, and January 26, 2022, pledging that The Bahamas will resolve the EU’s issues over purported deficiencies in its “economic substance” and tax reporting. “After committing in writing to the EU from as far back as December 2021, and after earnest promises and blame shifting in October 2022, the Prime Minister and his boastful Attorney General [Ryan Pinder KC] still have not been able to get The Bahamas off the EU’s tax blacklist, referred to formally as the EU ‘list of noncooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes’,” Mr Pintard asserted. “Two years after the Prime Minister and the Attorney General promised to take the necessary corrective action, the EU

SEE PAGE B5

WENDY’S rendering on Paradise Island.

Wendy’s chief on PI: ‘What’s all the fuss?’ By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net THE Wendy’s and Marco’s Pizza franchise principals “don’t understand what all this fuss is about” as they sought to argue why their Paradise Island restaurant project should receive planning permission. Chris Tsavoussis, who along with his brother, Terry, heads Aetos Holdings, questioned at Monday night’s Town Planning Committee public consultation why there was so much opposition to the proposal to convert the former Scotiabank branch when the adjacent shopping plaza hosts a Dunkin Donuts franchise, web shops and a liquor store. He said: “We found an old dilapidated building on Paradise Island that we’d like very much to renovate and enhance. Wendy’s is a brand and Marco’s

Pizza. They are some of the world’s best brands, and the fact that there’s Dunkin’ Donuts next door, there’s a barbecue place a few doors beyond that, there’s a web shop in the same shopping centre, there’s liquor stores... “We see how that facility treats its garbage and what the view looks like to the public, and we know the way we operate, especially because it’s Paradise Island, a lot of extra care and attention would be given to that. “So we don’t understand what all this fuss is about when the precedents have been set with a commercial shopping centre that exists and it’s there. Actually, we plan to raise the bar on what’s next to us by a significant amount. So I always tell the residents that their fears are unfounded. We just don’t quite get what this about.

SEE PAGE B6

A BAHAMIAN web shop operator’s challenge to the Gaming Board taking $1m from its accounts to finance development of an industry-wide compliance and monitoring system has been rejected by a judge. Justice Andrew Forbes, in an October 13, 2023, decision refused to grant Chances Games and its parent, Jarol Investments, permission to initiate a Judicial Review action against the industry regulator because the proceedings were “woefully out of time” when launched. And he also found that the gaming operator had not exhausted all other legal options. Hinting that Chances still has “a remedy” if it remains dissatisfied with the Gaming Board’s actions and decision, the Freeport-based judge noted that the dispute’s origins dated to the time when the COVID-19 pandemic hit The Bahamas in February/March 2020. As part of Chances’ licence, under the Gaming House Act and Gaming House Regulations 2014, it was required to invest “in a computer system properly configured” so that the Gaming Board’s central electronic monitoring system could have unrestricted access to its data,

“including but not limited to a system with the ability for continuous online realtime recording, monitoring and control of significant gaming transactions”. Chances, though, alleged that the Gaming Board has “failed to set up and maintain” such a central electronic monitoring system as required by the regulations. “Further, it is alleged that the Board withdrew monies from [Chances] investigative deposit accounts to pay Infrasoft Technologies for the development and implementation of” this system “without any consultation with management before,” Justice Forbes wrote. A total $947,919 was allegedly withdrawn by the Gaming Board to finance its monitoring system. This was broken down into $780,452 for Infrasoft, $145,785 in “agent fees”, and $21,692 to another technology provider, MicroNet, all of which was to finance the contract between Infrasoft and the gaming regulator. “The intended claimant [Chances] also alleges that the Board has failed to perform its duty, whether expressly or by implication, or is guilty of withdrawing funds from the accounts to pay Infrasoft for works not related to the recovery

SEE PAGE B5

PAGE 2, Wednesday, October 18, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

BAHAMAS TO HOST MAJOR REGIONAL AVIATION SUMMIT NASSAU and Paradise Island will host a major regional aviation conference in 2025 that will attract numerous travel industry professionals to The Bahamas. The Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board, in a statement, announced that the destination will host the Routes Americas conference for the second time between February 10-13, 2025. The annual event will bring together senior airline, airport and destination executives,

providing a platform for networking, meetings and event programming. “We are thrilled to be hosting Routes in 2025, bringing some of the top travel industry professionals to the shores of Nassau Paradise Island,” said Joy Jibrilu, the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board’s chief executive. “We look forward to bringing together these professionals for a few days of unmissable networking opportunities, mutually beneficial meetings and

PICTURED from L to R: Dr. Kenneth Romer, Joy Jibrilu and Steve Small.

event programming to help us all learn how we can unite regions through air service development. We look forward to giving attendees a taste of The Bahamas while they are here.” With a growing number of direct flights from the US, Canada and the UK, the Promotion Board said Nassau and Paradise Island are an ideal location for the 18th edition of Routes Americas.

SEE PAGE B6

Seven Jamaican companies meet Bahamas counterparts By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net SEVEN Jamaican manufacturers visited The Bahamas on a three-day trade mission earlier this month in a bid to strengthen economic ties and promote regional integration. Caribbean Broilers, Dynamic Chemicals, Fosrich, Jamaica Broilers,

Jamaica Idealle, Spur Tree Spices and ThomoVybes Manufacturing participated in the mission organised by the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) from October 10-12. The Bahamas Trade Commission, Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) and Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation

(BCCEC) were the three principal Bahamian organisations involved. The three-day visit included an opening ceremony and trade expo at the SBDC’s Gladstone Road head office on October 10, followed by business-tobusiness meetings on the 11th and a day of market visits on the 12th. The Jamaican companies held meetings with

several Bahamian firms such including Commonwealth Brewery, Lightbourn Trading, Sysco and Caribbean Bottling Company. They also toured companies such as AID, Centerville Food Store, Super Value and Xtra Value. Senator Barry Griffin, deputy chairman of The Bahamas Trade Commission, said: “Caribbean Integration, regional trade

and the promotion of Caribbean business as a whole must be what we base our future prosperity on.” Samantha Rolle, the SBDC’s executive director, added: “Working collaboratively to execute the JMEA trade mission will further support both nations in achieving greater economic resiliency.” Khrystle Ferguson, the Chamber’s chair, said: “We

BTC digitises learning and recruitment roles By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) yesterday said it has completed the digitisation of its learning and recruitment processes in a bid to provide on-demand education for staff and better efficiency. The carrier, in a statement, said its entire recruitment process is now conducted digitally. Job opportunities for all areas in the business are posted on BTC’s LinkedIn page, with the requirements and the job description. Interested applicants can respond directly to the job opportunity on

LinkedIn and, once they meet the requirements, the process is initiated. K. Darron Turnquest, BTC’s director of people, said: “We’re going digital. Daily, we receive countless resumes and calls from people interested in joining the BTC team. LinkedIn gives us a wider reach and allows us to communicate directly with prospective candidates in an efficient manner. By doing this we’ve reduced the number of hours the team has previously had to use to scour through and manually file resumes. “Candidates can respond directly to jobs that suit their needs. When there are no available jobs, LinkedIn

also allows a prospective applicant to turn on notifications that would advise them when there is an opportunity available that fits their skill set. This is a positive step in the right direction.” LinkedIn also stores candidate information to find future recommended matches if the applicant is not successful initially. Candidates can also be pinpointed based on filters including “open to work” and “active talent”. In addition to using LinkedIn as a recruitment tool, BTC said it has empowered all staff to take learning into their own hands using LinkedIn Learning. Mr Turnquest explained: “As a telecoms business,

constant transformation is essential to our survival. What we did yesterday has changed and we must continuously evolve to meet the needs of our customers. “This is why we believe that our colleagues should always be learning, and this is why we’ve placed a tool like LinkedIn Learning in the hands of every full-time employee. This added benefit gives the individual the sense of responsibility for their own development. Managers can also use the tool to develop annual learning plans for their teams. The programme is fully digital, so employees have access 24/7.” BTC staff have access to multiple content, and

the opportunity to learn skills and gain certifications even outside their areas of employment. The most popular courses include effective communication, positive customer experience, emotional intelligence and project management. “BTC wholeheartedly endorses LinkedIn Learning, and we are proud that our parent company, Liberty Latin America, provides this benefit for all colleagues. We know that there is tremendous value in on-the-job learning. However, by using LinkedIn Learning, colleagues have access to over 16,000 interactive online courses,” Mr Turnquest said.

need to come together and support each other in the Caribbean region.” Robert Scott, JMEA treasurer and head of the mission, added: “‘Export or die.’ These are the words echoed by our leaders. Our prosperity, wealth and growth as a region will come from trading with each other.” BTC added that it can be located on LinkedIn as The Bahamas Telecommunications Company or BTC Business. The carrier added that earlier this year it eliminated all parental leave restrictions, and now enables all full-time colleagues to take advantage of parental leave from their first day of employment. BTC has also introduced its new People Resource Centre, a fully digital platform that allows employees to take control of their performance management and vacation management. Staff are also able to access employment letters and pay slips using this digital format, which can be accessed through their mobile phones and using a laptop.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 18, 2023, PAGE 3

CRUISE PORT BEATS 2022 ARRIVALS IN JUST 9 MONTHS By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net THE NASSAU Cruise Port (NCP) yesterday said it surpassed total visitor arrivals for the 2022 fullyear in just nine months with some 3.224m passengers passing through the facility by end-September. The Prince George Wharf operator, in a statement issued yesterday, said the total number of

passengers arriving at its facilities during the nine months to end-September was 11,000 higher than volumes seen during the 2022 full-year. By September 24, 2023, the cruise port said it had welcomed 3.224m passengers for the year-to-date. By comparison, 3.213 passengers visited the port between January and December 2022. Company executives estimate they will welcome 4.2m passengers for the 2023 full-year,

marking a new annual record. “We are thrilled to have reached this milestone, and to do so just in time to celebrate our fourth anniversary makes the achievement extraordinarily special,” said Nassau Cruise Port’s chief executive, Mike Maura, in a statement. “Our success reflects the resilience and commitment of the cruise industry, and

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NASSAU Cruise Port surpassed its 2022 passenger total with two-and-a-half months left in 2023.

Gov’t awaits revenue ‘uptick’ on cruise tax By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net THE MINISTRY of Finance’s top official says the Government’s revenues are on target with an “uptick” anticipated in the 2023-2024 fiscal year’s second half due to the hike in cruise visitor departure taxes.

Simon Wilson, the financial secretary, said there was “no shortfall” in revenue due to the departure tax increase which is set to take effect from January 1, 2024, in time for the fiscal year’s second half. He added: “This year we are on track in with revenue in comparison to last year. You know, the big part of our revenue for this year was in the second half of the year when we increased

the departure taxes on cruise ships. “We can see an uptick in revenue between the period of January to June because of the increase in departure tax for cruise ships. So this year there is no shortfall….” The Government is aiming to near-triple revenues earned from departing cruise passengers to $145m in the 2023-2024 Budget year via a series of new and increased fees.

Revenue estimates for the fiscal year revealed the Davis administration is seeking to increase “sea departure taxes” from $50.642m via a combination of increasing the $18 per passenger departure tax to $23 for cruise passengers leaving New Providence or Grand Bahama and $25 per head for all those who exit “by sea from a private island not visiting any other port in The Bahamas”.

The Government also introduced a $5 tourism environmental levy and a $2 tourism enhancement levy for each cruise ship passenger. The new fees and taxes will be applied to every passenger that arrives to The Bahamas after January 1, 2024. Mr Wilson also described Customs’ Exempt app, which allows incoming arrivals to file declarations and pay due taxes before

they arrive in the country, as a “success story” that has increased revenues generated at the airport by 90 percent. He said: “The Customs App is a success story actually. So we’ve seen a 90 percent increase in Customs revenue from the airport since the app has been introduced.”

Opposition chief calls for renewed living cost focus By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net THE OPPOSITION’S leader yesterday urged the Government to provide additional relief to Bahamians suffering from the post-COVID cost of living crisis. Picking up after Anglican Bishop Laish Boyd called for the elimination of VAT on so-called ‘breadbasket’ food items and other essentials, a policy the Free National Movement (FNM) has long championed, Michael Pintard argued that the Government’s own actions increased living

costs when they reintroduced the tax from January 1, 2022. “They have not come to the Bahamian public with a comprehensive but reasonable plan on how to mitigate against the increase of inflation and its negative effects on Bahamian families,” he argued, while acknowledging that inflation is largely imported into this nation and is not something within this country’s control. “But government’s role is how do you reduce the impact of the inflation. The Prime Minister and his team promised that they would lay out measures that will accomplish that. To date, we have not seen this

menu of options on how they can accomplish that,” Mr Pintard said. “The Government has increased, in a dramatic way, the cost of electricity, which is negatively affecting our business persons. The Government itself in terms of this added expense for power, which the Bahamian people must ultimately pay.” Mr Pintard said the hike in electricity costs through the course of 2023 was a direct result of the Government failing to execute trades, which would have secured extra cut-price fuel, to support the BPL fuel hedge left in place

by the former Minnis administration. “If you are a fisherman, there are draconian, outlandish fees for registration of vessels, which has created tremendous hardship for fisherfolk who are already struggling with lower costs for some marine products in the market. It is negatively affecting fishers as well as processing plants,” the Opposition leader blasted. “If you add to that the high costs of registration for boats, and if you are someone that runs a

marina, the Government has, again, created problems for you because the Government, through an increase in taxation of that sector, has driven boaters who would ordinarily come to The Bahamas and spend money with Bahamian merchants to other Caribbean countries.” Mr Pintard also renewed previous allegations that the Government is failing to pay its vendors, who provide it with goods and services, in a timely manner. “Residents have the additional problem now of the

Government failing to pay on time. It is not paying its sub-contractors on time,” he added. “I’ve recently commented on those who were involved in the small home repairs programme in Grand Bahama, the few houses that they have fixed. There was more than three months where they have not paid those small sub-contractors, some of whom are having problems because their workers cannot be paid.”

PAGE 4, Wednesday, October 18, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Gov’t: EU’s outdated review keeps Bahamas blacklisted FROM PAGE B1 longer be viewed as a “non-cooperative jurisdiction” when the EU Council conducts its next review in February 2024. The Attorney General also said yesterday’s events were unlikely to have any further negative impact on the financial services industry and wider Bahamian economy. “We’re not surprised,” Mr Pinder told Tribune Business of The Bahamas’ failure to escape the EU’s clutches yesterday. “We’ve been speaking to them. They made their determination based upon the Forum for Harmful Tax Practices, which is a committee of the OECD. The Forum did their assessment in April and, of course, in April, we were not in a position to be fully compliant.” Given that the EU takes its cue from the OECD Forum on “economic substance”, the Attorney General added that it was “most disappointing” that the 27-nation bloc made its determination in advance of the latter’s next meeting. “If that’s the case, logic tells you they make their assessment after the Forum on Harmful Tax Practices,” he said. “This is a timing issue. We’re rather disappointed that the EU took a decision based on a review done in April. “We fully expect to have a favourable review by the Forum for Harmful Tax Practices and, by the end of this calendar year, will have revised recommendations from the Forum which the

EU will take into account in its February meeting. “I am cautiously optimistic that we have done everything in our power and complied with the recommendations of the Forum on Harmful Tax Practices, and they will have a favourable review of us later this month.” Mr Pinder said The Bahamas is in contact with both the OECD Forum and the EU’s Code of Conduct Group, the latter of which leads the “non-cooperative jurisdiction” initiative for the bloc. The EU gave little justification for maintaining The Bahamas on its tax blacklist, other than to repeat a previous explanation. “The Bahamas facilitates offshore structures and arrangements aimed at attracting profits without real economic substance by failing to take all necessary actions to ensure the effective implementation of substance requirements,” was the ‘substance’ of its explanation. ‘Economic substance’ is a test that requires companies to show they are doing real, legitimate business in a jurisdiction and are not merely brass plate, letterbox fronting companies acting to shield taxable assets and wealth from their home country authorities. The initial Commercial Entities (Substance Requirements) Act 2018 required all companies conducting “relevant activities” to confirm they are carrying out real business in The Bahamas via annual electronic filings - a requirement that was maintained

in upgraded legislation, passed by Parliament earlier this year, to help address the purported deficiencies identified by the EU. The Government has also initiated inspections and enforcement actions to ensure registered agents and their corporate clients are complying with the Act, while BDO - the company that developed the beneficial ownership registry (BOSS) system - was hired to develop a new electronic online portal for economic substance filing and reporting. That portal went live in September, although the deadline for 2022 filings was extended to October. “The level of work has been, and continues to be, rather intense,” Mr Pinder told Tribune Business of the ongoing drive to ensure The Bahamas meets EU and OECD demands. “We have accomplished a lot in the last year. You would note, if you look at the October release by the EU last year, it spoke about deficiencies in the country-by-country reporting mechanism “You would note those are no longer detailed this year. The EU has acknowledged that, in the grand scheme of things, in their review that we have improved.” The implementation of countryby-country reporting under the OECD’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) initiative was raised as a concern by the EU in late 2022. This is an effort to prevent multinational groups with annual turnovers of

$850m or greater from avoiding/evading taxes in the jurisdiction in which these monies are earned by shifting them, via transfer pricing or some artificially contrived transaction, to countries where they will be taxed at a lower rate. The Bahamas’ progress in this area was indeed acknowledged by the EU in its February 2023 ‘blacklist’ review, where it said: “The Bahamas was in particular urged to continue to undertake compliance actions and the required exchanges of information with respect to all relevant entities, and encouraged to verify its statistical data.... “Since the general recommendation that was addressed to the Bahamas in the 2021 BEPS Inclusive Framework Action 13 peer review report on countryby-country reporting was removed in the most recent report, the commitment The Bahamas made to the group in January 2022... is deemed fulfilled. The group therefore recommends to delete the reference to this commitment from the entry on The Bahamas.” “All across the board a tremendous amount of work is going on,” Mr Pinder told Tribune Business yesterday. “We implemented the new portal in September, passed a whole new piece of legislation and developed detailed guidance notes, and have done extensive consultation with industry. We continue to work very hard as part of the reporting requirements for the Forum on Harmful Tax Practices.”

The last step in fully complying with the OECD Forum’s requirements is to provide a year’s worth of economic substance reporting data and filings. To accomplish this, Mr Pinder said the Government has had to go back in and retrieve data from the old substance reporting portal that was attached to the Department of Inland Revenue, and deemed inadequate, and migrate this to the new one via manual processes. Tribune Business previously reported that deficiencies with the economic substance reporting portal, and an inability to test, analyse and inspect the data, was a critical factor in the EU’s blacklisting decision. “The old portal was completely deficient and did not function,” the Attorney General told this newspaper. “Part of the challenge that we faced, and the work we continue to do, is take the data that was reported historically in that system and review it, reorder it, clean it and make sure that it’s accurate so it can be advanced [migrated] to the new portal. If the former portal was bad, the organisation of the data was equally as bad. “We’re working through that manually. Every report in the old portal we’re manually reviewing, manually assessing and putting in the new portal to complete the reporting by the end of the calendar year. That will be the last piece to be deemed co-operative and compliant

with our obligations,” he added. “It’s been a lot of work. The fact of the matter is we have an obligation to get it right even if the former administration got it wrong, and we are doing everything in our power to get it right.” Asked whether the failure to escape the EU’s blacklist in this review will negatively impact financial services and The Bahamas’ status as an international financial centre (IFC), Mr Pinder said he foresees no further fall-out. “You never want to be determined to be noncooperative,” he said, “but nothing has substantially changed. I don’t think there will be an increased adverse effect. You always want to be determined to be cooperative, and not on any list, and that’s the position we’re working towards.” The EU yesterday added Antigua and Barbuda, Belize and Seychelles to its list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes, while also removing the British Virgin Islands, Costa Rica and the Marshall Islands. This keeps it at 16 countries. Besides The Bahamas, the other 15 are American Samoa; Antigua and Barbuda; Anguilla; The Bahamas; Belize; Fiji; Guam; Palau; Panama; Russia; Samoa; Seychelles; Trinidad and Tobago; the Turks and Caicos Islands; US Virgin Islands; and Vanuatu.

Insurer ‘not panicking’ on EU backlist escape miss FROM PAGE B1 KC], we had met with the financial secretary [Simon Wilson]. “I think they’ve done a remarkable job to get us off the blacklist. The timing was just slower than we anticipated. From RoyalStar’s standpoint, we knew October would be a challenge but February should be when the EU reviews everything and we should be off the blacklist by then. “They’ve [the Government] assured us they’ve done everything they can.

We’ve seen the legislation and compliance stuff that they’ve done. To me, I’m not concerned. The Government has done everything possible except the timing was an issue,” the RoyalStar chief continued. “There’s not going to be any issue with the Germans doing business with us. Cost will be dictated by availability and capacity. I’m on my way to Hanover now” to meet with German reinsurers. Tribune Business reported earlier this year warnings from Bahamian

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that KRYSTAL DYANDREA BROWN, P.O Box N8417 Marathon Road, Nassau, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 18th day of October 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

property and casualty insurers that they could lose up to 35 percent of reinsurance capacity if this nation failed to escape the EU’s blacklist this month. Otherwise German reinsurers such as Munich Re will be prevented by German law from receiving tax relief or deductions on hurricane-related claims payouts to The Bahamas Given that such payouts will likely be worth hundreds of millions of dollars if a Dorian-strength storm strikes a major Bahamian island, the loss of such tax relief might deter German reinsurers from continuing to support local carriers by underwriting the bulk of this nation’s risks. Such a scenario, if it happens, could occur at the worst-possible time given that reinsurance capacity and willingness to underwrite risks in the disaster-prone Caribbean is at a near 30-year low. Insurance Company of

The Bahamas (ICB), in its 2022 annual report, said the drop in reinsurance availability has already pushed property insurance costs for Bahamian homeowners and businesses to the highest levels it has seen in its 26-year history. Bahamian insurers recently reiterated previous warnings that, in present market conditions, they would struggle to replace the loss of capacity provided by German reinsurers. Besides further increasing already-high premiums, they added that the loss of reinsurance supply might also leave them unable to provide coverage for new homeowner and business clients. Mr Saunders, though, indicated yesterday that such a scenario will not occur in the immediate term although The Bahamas will have to ensure it escapes the EU listing some time within the next 12-14 months to ensure it

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that MARILIA PREZILAN, Faith Avenue, Nassau, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 18th day of October 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

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retains German reinsurance capacity. Bahamian property and casualty underwriters must acquire huge amounts of reinsurance annually because their relatively thin capital bases mean they cannot cover the multibillion dollar assets at risk in this nation, thus making them dependent on global support. German reinsurers such as Munich Re, Hanover Re and R & V Re have played pivotal roles in providing such backing. Mr Saunders, meanwhile, said RoyalStar’s experience aligned with a recent report by A. M. Best, the international insurance credit rating agency, which found Caribbean-wide reinsurance capacity declined by between 10-15 percent in 2023. The renewals for next year are still being worked out, but A. M. Best said: “Domestic primary insurers in the Caribbean have experienced a difficult reinsurance renewal season this year as the reinsurance industry re-evaluates the capacity it extends to the region. “A combination of a higher frequency of nonmodelled events in the US and Europe, high interest rates and, for European

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reinsurance carriers, a strong dollar, has driven reinsurers to reduce the capacity extended to Caribbean primary insurers. “A recently issued Best’s Market Segment Report pegs the estimated reduction in reinsurance capacity for the Caribbean region in 2023 at between 10 percent and 15 percent. The change in reinsurance availability has had several downstream effects on the Caribbean domestic markets, most notably large rate increases for primary policyholders,” it added. “Increases in primary retention and the addition or expansion of self-insured sub-layers were tools carriers used to maximise the limits they could acquire for excess-of-loss towers, but with added capital at risk. Higher reinsurance limits are necessary to accommodate higher modelled catastrophe risks from existing policyholders and any potential growth in policy count. “As a result, A M Best expects the Caribbean insurers’ profitability to be pressured over the near term. The primary carriers are highly dependent on reinsurance, as they lack the capital to retain any significant amount of additional premium. This dependence also means that financial results can be very sensitive to changes in reinsurance rates and terms.”

NOTICE Rose Island Cottage Ltd NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows: (a) Rose Island Cottage Ltd is in dissolution under the provisions of the International Business Companies Act, 2000. (b) The dissolution of the said Company commenced on the 12th October, 2023 when its Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General. (c) The Liquidator of the said Company is David Butler. Dated the 13th day of October, 2023.

H&J CORPORATE SERVICES LTD. Registered Agent for the above-named Company

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 18, 2023, PAGE 5

WEB SHOP LOSES CHALLENGE OVER $1M GAMING BOARD ‘WITHDRAWAL’ and social and recreational activities. Chances, in unveiling its Judicial Review, sought a declaration that the Gaming Board acted unlawfully in withdrawing funds from its accounts to finance the compliance system. It also wanted a declaration that the regulator “acted unreasonably by continuing to withdraw funds” when the project was on “indefinite hold”. It also sought an Order that the Gaming Board stop withdrawing monies, and another ruling that it be reimbursed by restoring the accounts to their original position. The web shop operator then sought a declaration that the funds were supposed to be “used exclusively for the recovery of investigation costs”, plus an accounting by the Gaming Board. However, the Supreme Court first has to give permission for an applicant to bring Judicial Review

proceedings, and Justice Forbes found that Chances had not met all the qualifying criteria required before leave can be granted. While it had sufficient standing to bring the action, the judge noted that Judicial Review cases must be brought within six months from the date when the grounds for the action arose. Chances’ case had its roots in Mr Tynes’ letter of March 26, 2020, which was more than three years ago, and thus Justice Forbes found the web shop operator was “woefully out of time”. While the web shop argued that both Hurricane Dorian and the COVID19 pandemic prevented it from “promptly” bringing the action, Justice Forbes pointed to the adjustments the judicial system made via virtual hearings and said there were “no real obstructions” to the filing and submission of

legal documents with the Supreme Court registry. Chances and its attorney, Carlson Shurland KC, then argued that Mr Tynes’ May 8, 2023, letter should be the date when the Judicial Review clock started. However, Justice Forbes found in favour of arguments by the Attorney General’s Office, representing the Gaming Board, that subjecting that letter to Judicial Review was “premature”. The judge, noting that the Act provides for any decision by the Gaming Board or minister to be appealed to the Supreme Court, said there was no evidence to show Chances “has exhausted all alternative remedies available” and suggested that one still existed given that the regulator has yet to provide the promised update. As a result, he dismissed the Judicial Review permission application.

OPPOSITION CHIEF SLAMS GOV’T OVER EU BLACKLIST

a new portal, a new reporting system to be compliant.” However, Kwasi Thompson, former minister of state for finance, alleged the Minnis administration had already approved plans to address the EU’s concerns. “The former FNM administration approved enhancements to the economic substance reporting system prior to the 2021 election, which this current administration was advised by the technical adviser to follow through with to ensure that The Bahamas received a favourable rating by the international taxation standard setters. Why did the Government not

proceed with the former administration’s planned upgrades which were approved by the technical staff?” the ex-minister said. This newspaper understands that a New Zealand company, which created the original electronic portal, had been re-engaged by the former administration to make the necessary upgrades and address the EU’s concerns. However, well-placed sources have questioned whether the work was completed or brought to a conclusion under the Davis administration.

FROM PAGE B1 of investigation costs for the grant or renewal of a licence,” Justice Forbes added. “That it had a legitimate expectation of consultation with the Board before the Board decided to embark on a capital project that would involve using funds out of the accounts, and the proper thing to do was to consult beforehand before departing from standard conduct and practice of withdrawing funds from the accounts to fund an asset for the Board which is outside the Board’s remit. “Moreover, it is alleged that to-date Infrasoft has not developed and implemented the central electronic monitoring system interface. However, the Board continues to withdraw inordinate sums of money from [Chances] accounts to pay for the balance of the contract.”

FROM PAGE B1 published an updated blacklist that once again included The Bahamas as one of 16 countries. Our listing was partly due to what the EU said was a failure of The Bahamas to ‘take all necessary actions to ensure the effective implementation of substance requirements’.” Mr Pintard’s comments threaten to re-ignite the so-called ‘blame game’ over whether the current or former Minnis administration is responsible for the EU blacklisting and to what degree. The Government yesterday accused the EU of failing to consider “many of the reforms” implemented by this nation in refusing to remove The Bahamas in its latest review. The Ministry of Finance, in a statement, said the 27-nation EU had decided to keep The Bahamas on its now-16 strong list of noncooperative jurisdictions on the basis of outdated information. It explained that the EU determined not to delist The Bahamas based on an April 2023 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development’s (OECD) Forum on Harmful Tax Practices, which did not include or consider the reforms implemented by this nation to address the European concerns. The EU takes its cue from the OECD Forum on economic substance issues, which lie at the heart of the former’s decision to brand this nation as non-cooperative. The bloc’s determination to

Chances first wrote to Ian Tynes, the Gaming Board’s secretary, on March 9, 2020, setting out its concerns over the “deducted charges from the accounts and that such charges did not represent a legitimate contribution that requires gaming house operators to provide for the Infrasoft project”. Mr Tynes replied on March 26, 2020, citing three separate sections in the Gaming House Act that he asserted “gave the Board the authority to recover from [Chances] accounts and all charges attributable to the installation of a central electronic monitoring system”. The Act’s accompanying regulations were also cited as giving the Gaming Board the necessary powers. Chances’ attorneys again wrote to Mr Tynes on September 30, 2022, to repeat concerns about “the Board’s continuous withdrawal of funds” from the web shop’s accounts. They

keep The Bahamas on that list was taken ahead of the OECD Forum’s meeting later this month, when this country’s efforts to cure its alleged deficiencies will be reassessed. The Ministry of Finance, saying it remains “cautiously optimistic” of a favourable review at the OECD Forum’s upcoming meeting, explained that such an outcome will work to The Bahamas’ advantage when the EU next reassesses its own listing in February 2024. “The EU’s determination was based on the recommendation of the OECD’s Forum on Harmful Tax Practices meeting held in April 2023 before many of our reforms for economic substance were implemented,” the Ministry of Finance added. “The Forum will meet again at the end of this month. The Government of The Bahamas is cautiously optimistic for a favourable review by the Forum. A favourable review by the Forum at the end of month will be considered by the EU in their February 2024 meeting. “The Government of The Bahamas has, and continues to do, everything in its power to address the compliance with the economic substance regime.” Mr Pintard, meanwhile, yesterday pledged: “The Opposition will continue to stand with the current administration in any effort to point out and stand up to the sometimes unfair and arbitrary rules and conditions placed on small

then sent a demand letter on April 8, 2023, requesting “full disclosure concerning all related activities, expenditures and scope of works of the installation of the central electronic monitoring system” by Infrasoft. Mr Tynes replied on May 8, 2023, advising that the Gaming Board was “preparing a thorough update regarding the implementation” and associated expenses within 14 days of his writing. That update has still not been released, hence Chances move to launch a Judicial Review action. The gaming operator alleged that “any reduction in its profit margin” and profits, caused by events such as the Gaming Board’s withdrawals from its accounts, “could result in downsizing which directly impacts all of its employees and some Bahamians’ quality of life” as well as threatening its donations to non-profits, charities

sovereign nations such as The Bahamas. “We are often subject to different standards than larger countries concerning tax and finance matters. We will continue to support the Government in all efforts to combat these instances where appropriate. “However, we also appreciate that as a country, we have made commitments and signed on to protocols that require us to maintain established globally accepted protocols around taxation, economic substance and tax information exchange. We expect the Davis administration to live up to its word when it says it will preserve the reputation and integrity of the country as a credible international financial jurisdiction.” However, he then added: “After two years of blaming the former FNM administration and committing to fixing the issue, the Davis administration still has not accomplished what it said it would complete 20 months ago in December 2021. The PLP has run out of excuses and run out of time. The failures are mounting.” Mr Pinder previously blamed the Minnis administration’s “fundamentally flawed” approach to complying with the EU’s economic substance demands for landing The Bahamas on the bloc’s blacklist. “They had threeand-a-half years to put in place a compliant regime of economic substance reporting and failed to do it,” he asserted in 2022. “They failed the country. They failed the financial services industry, and they

really should be ashamed of themselves now trying to make this issue political since it’s squarely on their feet. We were notified of the non-compliance late last year [2021]. “We gave our assurances that we would try to work with the EU. Clearly, with a fundamental flaw, it takes some time to fix and we were just unable to get over all of the hurdles in time [to address and avoid] the noncompliant rating. So what we’ve been doing is we’re going to have to put in place

PAGE 6, Wednesday, October 18, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Wendy’s chief on PI: ‘What’s all the fuss?’ system you were talking about.” Other attendees raised concerns about traffic congestion and parking that will be available at the location. Mr Tsavoussis argued that the fast food restaurant franchise has successfully transported employees to the airport over the past ten years and that traffic is “subjective”. He added: “We’ve been doing it for ten years at the airport. It does work. We don’t take up any spaces. We drop our employees off, we return to pick them up, we have two or three different bus schedules. So that does work. “And this thing about traffic..it is something that is so subjective that any individual who wants to can

put a spin on it any they want. We live in reality. We do this every day. We see customers every day. And we manage this every day. It’s what we do for a living. And we know, and we have a very good sense, of how it all works. And that is the difference between somebody who thinks they may know…but has absolutely no clue on the reality of what goes on.” Fears were also raised that the restaurants would attract rodents to the area. Mr Tsavoussis said Aetos Holdings does a “tremendous amount of mitigation of rodents” as it operates international brands that would be “dead in the water” if vectors were discovered.

He said: “In reference to rodents we operate a brand, Wendy’s and Marcos Pizza. The way those businesses run, they are international brands. If you have a rodent in your restaurant, you are dead in the water, you’re out of business. You close your shop. There’s no room for any error there so we do a tremendous amount on mitigation of rodents” The project could generate between 70 to 100 construction and full-time jobs, and one of the attendees in favour of the project said the development will “open doors for many”. She added: “I don’t know anybody here, but I think this company will open doors for many. Jobs will be available.”

BAHAMAS TO HOST MAJOR REGIONAL AVIATION SUMMIT

Tourism, Investments and Aviation and the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board, we look forward to putting on another fantastic forum in paradise where delegates will experience our rich culture and see how significant investments in the country continue to make Nassau/Paradise Island a top-ranking destination in the region. “Airline executives will see the fully redeveloped

LPIA and be informed regarding the airport’s growth and expansion plans. It is truly an exciting time for the airport and the destination, and we are so pleased to have been chosen once again to host this extraordinary forum.” The Routes conference will take place at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island.

FROM PAGE B1 Vaughn Roberts, Atlantis’ senior vice president of government affairs and special projects, reiterated the mega resort’s concerns about the extra traffic that the restaurant destination would bring to Paradise Island and where the infrastructure needed to operate the restaurant will be located. He said: “One of the things I’m really curious about is just from the fast food operations - the infrastructure that’s needed to support it. With respect to when I drive by Wendy’s, I see a huge water tank facility. I see a huge trash compactor, and I sit in the loading area for you to

FROM PAGE B2 It pointed out that Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) is the first airport outside the US to offer the Transportation and Security Administration’s (TSA) PreCheck, and also one of the few offering

bring in your produce and food. “I also see parking. That bus also accommodates your employees, because I can’t imagine that everybody working for this Wendy’s is going to take public transportation or hustle across the bridge. I assume that some of the employees will come by car…” Mr Tsavoussis said Aetos Holdings will provide transportation for their employees similar to the scheme that they use for staff at their Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) location. He added that traffic existed in the area when Scotiabank occupied the site, and he anticipates Wendy’s

US Customs and Immigration pre-clearance, along with US Global Entry expedited clearance. It receives non-stop service from New York with flights from all three of the city’s airports, and recently announced its first direct flight from Los

generating “less traffic” than the bank. He added: “Just like we run the facilities at the airport, we actually bus our people to and from work, so that is the scenario that we use in this instance and that would be how we would mitigate any sort of parking overflow. “You know, the overflow used to exist before us with a bank there and the ATMs going and everything else. We anticipate less traffic than what they were putting out. The fact that all of our employees will, for the most part, be brought over.... we may have perhaps three employee cars at any given moment on that site, which leaves the rest of that 20 or so car parking area open to the public and that delivery

Angeles International Airport (LAX). Vernice Walkine, president and chief executive at Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD), LPIA’s operator, said, “ As an airport serving a premier destination, we are thrilled to have been selected to

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE

TJ J’ADORE LIMITED

host the Routes Americas forum for a second time. Back in 2012, we welcomed top airlines and airports in the midst of a major infrastructural upgrade at Lynden Pindling International Airport. “Together with our partners at the Ministry of

NOTICE

CH INVESTMENT HOLDINGS LIMITED

N O T I C E IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows:

(a)

TJ J’ADORE LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.

(a)

CH INVESTMENT HOLDINGS LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.

(b)

The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 17th October, 2023 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.

(b)

The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 17th October, 2023 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.

The Liquidator of the said company is Bukit Merah Limited, The Bahamas Financial Centre, Shirley & Charlotte Streets, P.O. Box N-3023, Nassau, Bahamas

(c)

Dated this 18th day of October, A. D. 2023 _________________________________ Bukit Merah Limited Liquidator

The Liquidator of the said company is Bukit Merah Limited, The Bahamas Financial Centre, Shirley & Charlotte Streets, P.O. Box N-3023, Nassau, Bahamas

Dated this 18th day of October, A. D. 2023 _________________________________ Bukit Merah Limited Liquidator

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LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE

SINO DESIGN LIMITED N O T I C E IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows: (a)

SINO DESIGN LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.

(b)

The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 17th October, 2023 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.

(c)

The Liquidator of the said company is Bukit Merah Limited, The Bahamas Financial Centre, Shirley & Charlotte Streets, P.O. Box N-3023, Nassau, Bahamas

Dated this 18th day of October, A. D. 2023 _________________________________ Bukit Merah Limited Liquidator LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE

AWESOME TBPKHKYT LIMITED N O T I C E IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows: (a)

AWESOME TBPKHKYT LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.

(b)

The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 17th October, 2023 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.

(c)

The Liquidator of the said company is Bukit Merah Limited, The Bahamas Financial Centre, Shirley & Charlotte Streets, P.O. Box N-3023, Nassau, Bahamas

Dated this 18th day of October, A. D. 2023 _________________________________ Bukit Merah Limited Liquidator LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE

GROWING FORTUNE HOLDINGS LTD. N O T I C E IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows: (a)

GROWING FORTUNE HOLDINGS LTD. is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.

(b)

The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 17th October, 2023 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.

(c)

The Liquidator of the said company is Bukit Merah Limited, The Bahamas Financial Centre, Shirley & Charlotte Streets, P.O. Box N-3023, Nassau, Bahamas

Dated this 18th day of October, A. D. 2023 _________________________________ Bukit Merah Limited Liquidator

PAGE 8, Wednesday, October 18, 2023

CRUISE PORT BEATS 2022 ARRIVALS IN JUST 9 MONTHS FROM PAGE B3 is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire Nassau Cruise Port team, the Bahamian government, our community, and our industry partners. Together, we have transformed the Bahamian cruise tourism product and brand, quickly turning Nassau into a premier destination for cruisers around the world. The best is yet to come.” Senator Randy Rolle, the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation’s global relations consultant, told Tribune Business it is now seeking to do more to lure tourists off the ships and drive them to downtown. “We have to continue to push and step up our game under the leadership of the director-general [Latia Duncombe] and her technical team, who have been doing a phenomenal job. We are at the support level,” he said. “Me and my team are here to ensure that we continue to increase events, and we up our efforts in cleaning up and beautifying the downtown area and making sure that the stakeholders are on the same page with us.” “Everyone has their hands to the wheel. We have taken the approach that tourism is still everybody’s business, and we have a dynamite team at the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation. Everyone’s working together and so we’re excited about it. We want to increase the amount of things that are able to happen downtown.”

THE TRIBUNE

IRS plans limited rollout of free e-file tax return system with invitations to select taxpayers A SIGN outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen, May 4, 2021, in Washington. The IRS plans to invite a select group of taxpayers across 13 states to try out the agency’s pilot electronic free file tax return system, beginning this January. Photo:Patrick Semansky/AP

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press THE IRS plans to invite select taxpayers across 13 states to try out the agency's pilot electronic free file tax return system beginning in January. The agency estimates that hundreds of thousands of taxpayers will participate in the limited rollout of the program for the 2024 filing season. The IRS faces intense blowback from private tax preparation companies that have made billions from charging people to use their software. The introduction of a government-run option could upend the industry and fundamentally change the way taxpayers interact with IRS. All eyes are on the agency to get it right — and avoid a rollout reminiscent of the disastrous healthcare.gov website rollout a decade ago, when many users encountered challenges accessing and using the website. "The plan is to roll it out in increments that get larger and larger, consistent with how products like this are rolled out in the private sector," IRS

Commissioner Daniel Werfel said on a call with reporters previewing the latest details of the program. "We want to make sure it is an easy to understand pilot" Werfel said. He added that the data pulled from the pilot will be "imperative" in determining the usefulness of the program. The agency plans to work with nonprofits, congressional offices, states and others to identify taxpayers who are eligible for the pilot program, based on

the types of income, tax credits and deductions that they claim. Werfel said the pilot is meant to be "just another choice taxpayers have" to file their taxes. "Our work to evaluate the feasibility of direct file is just one of many examples of how we're working to transform the IRS." Derrick Plummer, an Intuit spokesman, said the program is "a solution in search of a problem, and that half-baked solution now has the potential to become a financial nightmare

for tens of millions of Americans while unnecessarily costing billions of dollars for something free of charge today." Several organizations offer free online tax preparation assistance to taxpayers under certain income limits. The IRS was tasked with looking into how to create a "direct file" system as part of the funding it received from the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law last summer. It gave the IRS nine months and $15 million to report on how such a program would be implemented. The IRS published a feasibility report in May laying out taxpayer interest in direct file, how the system could work, its potential cost, operational challenges and more.

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-DAY FORECAST

ORLANDO

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 61° F/16° C

TAMPA

TONIGHT

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Sunny and pleasant

Partly cloudy

Breezy with a shower and t-storm

Cloudy with a couple of t-storms

A morning shower; mostly sunny

Pleasant with clouds and sun

High: 84°

Low: 75°

High: 86° Low: 74°

High: 84° Low: 75°

High: 85° Low: 72°

AccuWeather RealFeel

86° F

75° F

91°-80° F

88°-79° F

91°-72° F

90°-75° F

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 61° F/16° C

ABACO

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 76° F/24° C

8-16 knots

WEST PALM BEACH High: 82° F/28° C Low: 70° F/21° C

7-14 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 71° F/22° C

N E S

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 70° F/21° C

MIAMI

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 71° F/22° C

7-14 knots

NASSAU

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

10:45 a.m. 11:00 p.m.

3.3 2.6

4:21 a.m. 5:15 p.m.

0.5 0.7

ALMANAC

Thursday

11:32 a.m. 11:50 p.m.

3.3 2.5

5:04 a.m. 6:05 p.m.

0.6 0.8

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 77° F/25° C Low .................................................... 73° F/23° C Normal high ....................................... 85° F/29° C Normal low ........................................ 73° F/23° C Last year’s high .................................. 88° F/31° C Last year’s low ................................... 71° F/22° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.92” Year to date ................................................ 47.19” Normal year to date ................................... 32.26”

Friday

12:25 p.m. -----

3.2 -----

5:53 a.m. 7:02 p.m.

0.7 0.9

Saturday

12:48 a.m. 1:26 p.m.

2.4 3.2

6:52 a.m. 8:05 p.m.

0.8 1.0

Sunday

1:55 a.m. 2:33 p.m.

2.5 3.1

8:01 a.m. 9:11 p.m.

0.8 0.9

Monday

3:07 a.m. 3:39 p.m.

2.6 3.2

9:14 a.m. 0.8 10:13 p.m. 0.7

Tuesday

4:15 a.m. 4:42 p.m.

2.8 3.2

10:26 a.m. 0.7 11:09 p.m. 0.4

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 79° F/26° C

KEY WEST

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 74° F/23° C

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 75° F/24° C

10-20 knots

10-20 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

SUN AND MOON Sunrise Sunset

10:48 a.m. 9:24 p.m.

First

Full

Last

New

Oct. 21

Oct. 28

Nov. 5

Nov. 13

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 80° F/27° C

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 79° F/26° C

W S

LONG ISLAND

TRACKING MAP

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 80° F/27° C

7:09 a.m. Moonrise 6:40 p.m. Moonset

CAT ISLAND

TIDES FOR NASSAU Ht.(ft.)

ELEUTHERA

High: 84° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

High

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

UV INDEX TODAY

TODAY

8-16 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 87° F/31° C Low: 78° F/26° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 85° F/29° C Low: 81° F/27° C

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 81° F/27° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 89° F/32° C Low: 81° F/27° C

8-16 knots

3-6 knots

MARINE FORECAST ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday:

WINDS NE at 7-14 Knots NE at 6-12 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 12-25 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 6-12 Knots E at 8-16 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 3-6 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots E at 7-14 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots E at 8-16 Knots NNE at 8-16 Knots NE at 12-25 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots E at 7-14 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots

WAVES 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 3 Miles 5 Miles 4 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 81° F 81° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 84° F 84° F 83° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 83° F 83° F 84° F 84° F 84° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 82° F 84° F 84° F 83° F 83° F