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Maynard-Gibson: Govt should limit land foreigners can buy By KEVA LIGHTBOURNE ~ Guardian Senior Reporter ~ kdl@nasguard.com: Progressive Liberal Party Senator Allyson Maynard-Gibson said yesterday that as a part of its land policy, the government should consider limiting the amount of land that non-Bahamians can buy. Maynard-Gibson was speaking during debate on a bill to amend the Real Property Tax Act and other bills. Among other things, the Real Property Tax Bill will provide for the elimination of the present surcharge on unpaid taxes on owner-occupied property not exceeding $250,000. It will also provide an incentive for people with outstanding real property taxes to pay those taxes by the end of the calendar year. If the taxes are not paid by the end of the year, the treasurer will waive the existing surcharge. Making her point about limiting land purchase to foreigners, Maynard-Gibson said the government could approach this in different ways, "whether it is by saying land underneath a certain price threshold — let's say $100,000 — cannot be bought by non-Bahamians or, and also, whether we say that we are not going to allow non-Bahamians to buy more than a specific number of lots in The Bahamas." "If land is going to be available to future generations of Bahamians, why should we allow non-Bahamians to buy 10 plots of land all over The Bahamas using our duty-free concessions and then simply putting them back into the hotel pool? What really are we getting from that?" The senator added, "I do agree we have to balance the fact that there is a whole new thrust to home ownership in the hotel pools and also access to Bahamian land. I say though that as we look to our future access to Bahamian land [this] must be the thrust. Future generations of Bahamians must be assured that affordable Bahamian land will be available to them." Maynard-Gibson also said it is important that the government provide incentives for Bahamians to move to the Family Islands. "I find it simply shocking to hear our government suggesting that we should densely populate southwest New Providence when right now we cannot guarantee any of the utilities. We can't guarantee electricity; right now we cannot guarantee reliable water. Just the other week, water was off," Maynard-Gibson explained. She added that as an incentive, the government should give Bahamians crown land in the Family Island free of charge. "That is our land. Give it to Bahamians who are prepared to move to Andros, or Eleuthera or South Abaco," Maynard-Gibson suggested. "If they are going to build a home there, incentivize by duty-free concessions with contractors who are going to help them build that land and those homes as well. What will happen is that we will see enterprise flourish." Maynard-Gibson then predicted that contractors would see their companies grow and the transport industry would also open up. "We will see a situation where somebody living in Andros comes into the port at southwest New Providence — that is the water transport aspect of it — with opportunity for new land transport. That person would get from Andros to downtown Nassau faster than someone in rush-hour coming from Fox Hill to downtown Nassau. We just can't continue to say that we are opening our doors to anybody who come here, buy up our land cheap, use our concessions to build houses, shut Bahamians out and we are not finding a way for young Bahamians to find a place — an ownership place; ownership of a business in terms of transport — encourage people to move to Andros and businesses will open up around that whole new city that will develop in Andros. The same thing can happen all over the Family Islands, but unfortunately this administration's vision is not about developing young Bahamians," Maynard-Gibson charged.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 |
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