Bermuda Government Hits Back At Anti-Business Tag

by Amanda Banks, Tax-News.com, London

24 March 2003

Senate Leader Colonel David Burch hit back last week at accusations that Bermuda's government was "non-friendly" towards business.

Defending the Progressive Labour Party's (PLP) recent record, he argued that small businesses, retailers, taxi drivers and restaurants had enjoyed a year of tax relief after legislation was amended to widen its scope.

Speaking during a tourism debate in the senate, Burch said that he was getting "a little tired and a little weary" of businesses constantly looking for someone to blame for their poor performances. He asserted that the real reason why many companies were suffering was more to do with mismanagement than anything the government was doing to put up barriers to business.

The Senate leader saved most of his invective for big businesses, pointing to the fact that many financial breaks were given to larger firms, rather than to the smaller businesses whose need was greater, and revealed that this has caused the government some "chagrin".

Singling out many of these big businesses, Burch explained that "they have shown time and again they are not the great financial wizards they would have us believe". He concluded: "They should leave politics to the politicians."

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