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Government to ‘Respond Aggressively’ to Ease of Doing Business Committee Recommendations

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#TurksandCaicos, January 19, 2018 – Nassau – The Government of The Bahamas will “respond aggressively” to recommendations made by the Ease of Doing Business Committee in an effort to address the global outlook on ease of doing business in The Bahamas.  The ‘Ease of Doing Business’ Committee was appointed last year by Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Hubert A. Minnis after a 2017 World Bank Annual Report listed The Bahamas as 119 out of 190 countries for ease of doing business.

Economies are ranked from 1-190 on their ease of doing business with one being the best possible rating and 190 the worst. The Bahamas was also ranked 108 out of the 190 countries with regards to starting a new business.  The Committee used the 10 categories established by the World Bank to make recommendations to the Government.

“Having been a businessman for many years, I know the frustration that business owners feel in complying with certain government processes,” Prime Minister Minnis said.   “I wish to assure the Bahamian people and the Committee that the Government will respond aggressively to the recommendations, including making the necessary legislative and regulatory changes.”

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Addressing the annual Bahamas Business Outlook Seminar Thursday, (January 18, 2018), Prime Minister Minnis said while The Bahamas was “clearly better” than a number of countries in the Ease of Doing Business rankings, “there is considerable and urgent room for improvement across the board, especially if we seek to be world class.”  The Prime Minister detailed additional rankings for the country contained in the June 2017 Report.   In terms of dealing with construction permits, The Bahamas was ranked at 106.  Dealing with construction permits involves the procedures, time and cost to build a warehouse.

The Bahamas ranked 117 in obtaining electricity (this involves the procedures, time and cost required for a business to obtain a permanent electricity connection for a newly constructed warehouse).  For registering property, the country was ranked 167, a designation the Prime Minister called “a terrible ranking.”   Registering property concerns procedures and the time and cost to register commercial real estate.  The country was ranked 142 out of the 190 countries insofar as obtaining credit was concerned and was ranked 55th for paying taxes and 74th for enforcing contracts.

Prime Minister Minnis said the use of paper confirmation and written certifications from applicants during the application process for various licenses and permits in The Bahamas – including original paper confirmations to demonstrate that applicants have paid their taxes to other government agencies or have complied with certain requirements of other government agencies — has in the past consumed a significant amount of time and often comprises an inefficient burden for applicants as well as those government agencies that have to sort through volumes of documents created.

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Using the Business License application process as an example, Prime Minister Minnis said an idea for reform is for government ministries to instruct their agencies, departments and employees to review their license and permit application processes in order to eliminate, wherever possible, the paper confirmation and certification requirements from other government agencies and substitute the same with direct agency to agency contact to acquire the information.

“The enhancement of E-government systems could make this an efficient technology-driven process for the government,” Prime Minister Minnis said.  “It is easier for a government employee to obtain confirmations from another government employee by an internally agreed-upon method, than for the private sector to collect numerous paper confirmations from the front desks of various government agencies.”

By: Matt Maura (BIS)

Photo Caption: Prime Minister Minnis, centre, at Bahamas Business Outlook on Thursday, with, from left: Writer Patricia Glinton-Meicholas; Baha Mar President Graeme Davis; The Counsellors Ltd. President Joan Albury; and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest.  (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay)

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Twist To Win Ends in a Grand Style with Four $5,000 Mall at Marathon Shopping Sprees  

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Twist To Win grand finale winners (l-r) Brian Bethel, Taraceta Neely, Ashia Demeritte and Merlin Adams posing along with their winnings from the shopping spree.

NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products concluded their 10 weeklong Twist To Win campaign with four $5,000 Mall at Marathon shopping sprees.

The campaign which was available throughout the entire Bahamas allowed consumers to enter by purchasing a 20oz bottle with a yellow cap from the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite, Fanta Orange, or Fanta Grape. Each yellow-cap had a unique alpha numeric code underneath which they submitted to the Twist To Win WhatsApp number.

With each qualifying purchase, participants residing in The Bahamas were entered to win instant prizes and into a grand prize draw to win one of four $5,000 shopping sprees at the Mall at Marathon.

Participants also enjoyed exciting instant prizes such as: Airpods, JBL Speakers, premium Coca-Cola merchandise, $500 Visa gift cards and Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music digital gift cards.

Out of 76,000 plus submissions, Brian Bethel, Ashia Demeritte, Merlin Adams, and Taraceta Neely won the coveted Mall at Marathon shopping sprees at the following select stores, Kelly’s House & Home, The Sports Center, John Bull, Brass & Leather, and BTC.

Leading up to the grand finale shopping spree, Coca-Cola hosted a Trivia Showdown with the eight finalists to determine the four winners. Finalists were tested on their knowledge of World History, Pop Culture, Caribbean Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Facts!

After a few rousing rounds of trivia, the four winners were declared after each winning their spot in the shopping spree by answering their questions correctly and choosing the “Grand Prize” Coca-Cola labeled bottles at random.

The morning of the shopping spree Coca-Cola gave the winners exclusive access to the Mall at Marathon and its participating stores before their usual operating hours. Grand prize winners were greeted with wide smiles from Coca-Cola brand representatives and morning bites before the big event.

At the start of the thirty-minute clock the grand prize winners along with each of their Coca-Cola shopping assistants ran to the various stores collecting items in their arms and carts.

Merlin Adams, a husband and father of four was proud to have executed his game-plan at the end of the shopping spree. With toys, a new phone and materials for his home from Kelly’s, Adams felt accomplished in what he gathered.

Taraceta Neely, a winner from Eleuthera collected beautiful bags for herself and relatives from Brass and Leather and Brian Bethel bought matching athletic and outdoor wear from The Sports Center for his family.

The final winner Ashia Demeritte bought linens and household items in addition to a new phone from BTC right in time for Christmas.

Caribbean Bottling Company is proud to share the real magic of Coca-Cola with the grand prize winners and the may instant prize winners across the Twist To Win campaign. For more updates on new products, promotions, and events follow www.cbcbahamas.com.

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 The Coca-Cola Art Project Astonishes Art Lovers at The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival  

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NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products displayed their astonishing Coca-Cola Art Project (CCAP), during Baha Mar’s five-day Culinary & Arts Festival.                                                                                                                                                                              Earlier this year, Coca-Cola partnered with The University of The Bahamas’ Visual Art and Design Department for a culturally rich art competition. UB’s art students were challenged to create pieces surrounding the theme, Bahamian music.

As a result, 20 student works of art were made, with four students declared as winners at the CCAP exhibit opening in Baha Mar’s ECCHO: Art Gallery in August. To recreate the culturally stimulating magic felt at the exhibit’s premiere, the CCAP was featured at the FUZE Art Tent during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival.

Nine incredible pieces of art lined the walls of the Coca-Cola Art Project, four of which included the winning pieces from Jhanaisia Cole, with ‘Gaulin Bride’; Alyssa Pinder, with ‘Shotgun Wedding’; Nelson Gray, with ‘Untitled’; and Jaela Bowe, with the piece ‘Whims of Obeah, a Folktail’.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Additionally, an intimate listening room was built. It displayed students’ artistic processes, UB Visual Art and Design representatives, and a recap of the exhibit opening for audiences.

Art enthusiasts also enjoyed premium limited-edition CCAP keepsakes at the booth. Journals which featured a collage of all 20 student submissions on the front and back cover, postcards with an art piece on the cover along with the student’s name, title, dimension and materials on the back and pens designed with the CCAP’s dynamic logo.

Throughout the art festival diverse groups of people visited the art tent taking in the displays while enjoying the artistic insights from the listening booth.

Community and culture are always at the forefront of Caribbean Bottling Community, and it was boldly showcased during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival for the third consecutive year.

For more details on the Coca-Cola Art Project, events and new products visit www.cbcbahamas.com today!

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CWS Brings a Galore of Bubbles at Annual Jollification Festival  

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Caribbean Wines & Spirits team members smiling behind one of the company’s two bars at Jollification

NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wines and spirits distributor delighted Jollification attendees with bubbles from their Bottega and Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wines and Besserat de Bellefon champagne lines.

Located in the Monument Circle on The Retreat grounds, CWS transformed The Retreat Garden into a lush lounge with Besserat, Bouvet and their latest product addition, Bottega, during the two-day affair.

The festivities kicked off Friday during BNT Member’s Night. Guests enjoyed exclusive offerings from CWS’s catalogue, offered exclusively to members.  Complimentary mixes or glasses on the rocks included El Tequileno tequila, Hard Truth whiskey, House of Angostura rum, Cross Keys gin, Nemiroff vodka and a slew of wines such as Fonesca Bin, Bottega and Besserat.

Guests also savored the ‘Jolly Paloma’ cocktail, an instant favorite made with El Tequileno tequila, Schweppes Grapefruit and Domaine de Paris rose wine.  To end the night, guests were treated to branded limited-edition wine tumblers as keepsakes.

On Saturday and Sunday, Jollification attendees delighted in glasses or bottles of champagne and sparkling brut or rosé wines while taking in the comfort of the chic lounge.  In addition to purchasing bottles for onsite consumption, consumers were also able to purchase bottles as gifts whether for themselves or someone special.

The sophisticated “bubble lounge” lounge was decked with velvet couches, gold rimmed cocktail tables, blue and pink pillows, and a white floral branded backdrop created for capturing the perfect picture.

Caribbean Wines & Spirits, a historic partner of the Bahamas National Trust was pleased to support Jollification 2025 to kick off the festive season and share their expansive range of spirits.

To keep up to date with all CWS products and events, visit their website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.

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