News
Penalties For Business Get Write-Off Says Deputy Premier
#TurksandCaicos, April 4, 2022 – You should not expect for the names of the companies which will benefit from a debt forgiveness program by the PNP Administration to be published, instead E. Jay Saunders, Minister of Finance has discloses that penalties linked to precisely 4,334 business license fee renewals have been wiped clean.
It is a measure which passed, strongly supported, through the House of Assembly on March 28, 2022 and forgives $1.4 Million in penalty charges by the Ministry of Finance, Investment and Trade.
“As of now, the penalties are wiped clean, actually they’re nailed to the cross,” said Saunders, Deputy Premier who also addressed queries about whether the list of beneficiaries would be published.
A similar tax forgiveness for those in arrears on the hotel and tourism taxes in 2019 led to a publication of the 19 companies in receipt; the Deputy Premier said this program will be managed differently.
“Every company with an outstanding balance is benefitting, and unlike a few hotels on the HRTT (Hotel & Restaurant Tourism Tax) list, there are literally hundreds of companies on the business license list, which covers four years. The list can be available to review, but it won’t be practical to do (publish) that.
The business license list is an offer of magnitude larger than the HRTT list, so it’s not as simple as saying the HRTT list was published so the other should be published also,” said the Deputy Premier in response to our queries.
When he addressed Parliament on the Business Licensing Fees and Penalties Amnesty Bill, 2022 he said, “As a bit of a background Mr. Speaker, speaking specifically to the area of business licenses, Total Arrears as at February 2022 for all Business licenses was $2,932,036.04. Included in this figure are the penalties of $1,395,658.19, and this Bill today seeks to write that off. The Total Penalties cover the four years 2018 to 2021,” said Saunders on March 28.
This measure, now instituted through the Business Licensing Department, was anticipated as the Government made an announcement prior to the Christmas holidays that a plan was being devised to help businesses hop the hurdle of mounting arrears at the Department. Some were uncertain whether the promise would materialize, but now it is here and not only did it make penalties go away for the pandemic years, it went back to 2018 and 2019, where penalties amounted to $42,240.00 and $222,816.00 respectively.
“I included 2018 and 2019 because outstanding fees went back that far, and our Government wants to give businesses the best chance at being successful, so we wrote off all penalties. Not some of the penalties, but all of them.”
In all, 4,334 accounts were impacted, though not necessarily that many companies as there are “many” businesses which appear in multiple years as not having paid license fees and the ensuing penalties.
In 2018, there were 96 companies which were unable to cover license fees and penalties. Grand Turk had 10; Providenciales 81; South Caicos and Middle Caicos had two each; in Salt Cay there was one and for North Caicos there was no company listed as not having paid their business license.
In 2019, that number rocketed to 574 business which did not pay their business licenses. Grand Turk had 68; Providenciales with 471; South Caicos had 11; Middle Caicos had seven; North Caicos registered 14 unpaid and three Salt Cay businesses made the non-payment list.
By the pandemic year, the list of companies which did not pay their business licenses grew nearly three-fold to 1,500 companies. Grand Turk now had 206; Providenciales had 1,201; South Caicos registered 20 unpaid; North Caicos had 48; Middle Caicos had 15 and Salt Cay grew to 10.
Last year, saw the mushrooming trend continue and 2,164 companies fell short of paying their business licenses to the Department. In the breakdown from Deputy Premier Saunders: Grand Turk, 286; Providenciales 1,748; South Caicos, 24; North Caicos was now at 73; Middle Caicos was 18 and Salt Cay had 15 businesses unable to pay licenses and resultant penalty fees.
Business license costs will still have to be paid to the Business Licensing Department reiterated the minister, in some cases, a payment plan may be set up to support clearing the debt for the license to operate.
“Mr. Speaker, to qualify for the Business License Penalties Write-Off, businesses will have to bring current their license fees within three months; but Mr. Speaker, if there are businesses that are unable to do so, this caring Government of the people, will allow them the flexibility to pay up their outstanding license fee over time through payment plans with TCIG.
So with that Mr. Speaker, we nail approximately 1.4M in business license fee penalties to the cross on behalf of the TCI businesses.”
The Bahamas, August 27, 2026 – The Royal Bahamas Police Force wishes to inform members of the public that several individuals are scheduled to appear before the Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 27th August 2026, at 12:00 noon.
The individuals and charges are as follows:
An 18-year-old female is scheduled to be arraigned on the following charges:
Three (3) counts of Murder
Three (3) counts of Attempted Murder
Three (3) counts of Possession of a Firearm with Intent to Endanger Life
Three (3) counts of Possession of an Unlicensed Firearm
Two (2) counts of Possession of Ammunition
Armed Robbery
Abetment to Armed Robbery
Stealing
Receiving
The charges stem from three separate shooting incidents and an armed robbery that occurred on Friday, 21st August 2026, and Saturday, 22nd August 2026.
The first shooting occurred in the area of Soldier Road and Baillou Hill Road, resulting in the death of a 51-year-old male.
The second shooting occurred in the area of Joe Farrington Road, resulting in the death of a 52-year-old male.
The third shooting occurred in the area of Gladstone Road, resulting in the death of a 36-year-old male.
The armed robbery occurred at a business establishment in the area of Carmichael Road and Baillou Hill Road.
A 21-year-old male is scheduled to be arraigned on one charge of:
- Murder
The charge stems from a shooting incident that occurred on Tuesday, 21st July 2026, in the area of Samson Street, Nassau Village, which resulted in the death of a 28-year-old male.
A 32-year-old male is scheduled to be arraigned on the following charges:
- Murder
- Attempted Murder
These charges stem from a shooting incident that occurred on Wednesday, 24th December 2025, in the area of Graham Drive, Yellow Elder, which resulted in the death of a 25-year-old male.
RBPF, PACD
by Deandrea Hamilton | Editor
PROVIDENCIALES, TCI — In a country where government press conferences are virtually non-existent, ministers are often difficult for
journalists to access and regular broadcast television news has disappeared, TCI Innovation, Technology and Energy Minister E. Jay Saunders has challenged Caribbean media to become “impossible to ignore.”
Speaking at the Caribbean Broadcasting Union gathering, Saunders argued that the Caribbean does not have a relevance problem but a “discoverability and positioning problem.”
Discoverability is precisely the issue in Saunders’ home country. Even Government’s own attempts at video news broadcasting have struggled against the realities of consistently producing a daily, weekly or even monthly newscast.
The difficulties confronting TCI media extend well beyond algorithms: limited advertising revenue, underfunding, shortages of trained professionals and insufficient human capacity leave newsrooms struggling for both staff and stamina.
Then there is the reality of operating in one of the region’s smallest societies. Politicians, journalists, advertisers, businesses and the subjects of stories often exist within the same tight economic and social circles. A controversial report that might create a ripple elsewhere can produce a tsunami in TCI, intensifying concerns among journalists about commercial and professional victimisation.
Saunders believes AI can help.
He urged Caribbean media to use the technology to transform one original story into television, radio, web, podcast, social and translated content without multiplying newsroom workload.
He also wants regional journalism structured so AI systems can find, understand and trust Caribbean sources, moving media beyond traditional SEO into Answer Engine Optimisation.
His ultimate message was emphatic: “Use AI not to make Caribbean media more artificial — but to make Caribbean voices more visible.”
For Turks and Caicos media, however, becoming visible may require more than technology. It requires an environment in which journalism can survive.
That last sentence is where I think we land the plane. It acknowledges that EJ actually has some us
Bahamas News
Bahama Brass Band Invitation Sparks Heritage Debate Ahead of TCI Constitutional Holiday
Turks and Caicos, August 20, 2026 – The planned participation of the Bahama Brass Band in the Turks and Caicos Islands’ inaugural Constitutional Holiday celebrations on August 30 has sparked public debate over culture, heritage and the historical contributions of Turks and Caicos Islanders abroad.
Organizers defended the invitation, saying the band’s inclusion is intended to highlight the deep historical ties between the two countries
and honor Turks and Caicos men who helped establish and develop the institution in Grand Bahama.
According to the organizers, the Bahama Brass Band began in 1955 in Pine Ridge, Freeport, with Turks and Caicos Islanders, including the late Deacon Reuben Hall Sr. of Middle Caicos and Jenkins Williams and Mervin Hendfield of North Caicos, among those who helped build its foundation. The band eventually grew to more than 50 men.
The organizers also pointed to the participation of Turks and Caicos men in The Bahamas’ Independence celebrations on July 10, 1973, arguing that their contributions became part of Bahamian history while maintaining strong connections to their homeland.
Supporters say bringing the band home represents an opportunity to honor those pioneers, showcase their regional influence and expose younger generations to an important part of Turks and Caicos history.
However, concerns raised publicly described the invitation as potentially disrespectful to local culture and heritage. Organizers acknowledged those concerns, apologizing to anyone who felt overlooked or offended, while maintaining that no disrespect was intended.
The committee said the event should ultimately unite rather than divide, presenting the band’s history as evidence of the reach and resilience of Turks and Caicos heritage.
PHOTO CREDIT: Bahamas Brass Band
