Christopher Lowe, operations manager for Kelly’s (Freeport), is fighting a battle with Customs over its demand for a ‘bonded goods sales’ report.
A notice by Customs, published in local newspapers, indicates that GBPA licencees must produce an NIB Letter of Good Standing, in order to receive an ‘Over the Counter Bond’ letter for 2011.
Lowe says the move by Customs is a “back handed” attempt to shut down the city’s ‘bonded goods sales’ process, a right it has no power to take away. He argues that the move would only increase business costs in Freeport.
The Over the Counter Bond letter allowed GBPA licencees to purchase goods duty-free or ‘bonded’ from another licencee as long as the goods were to be used for use in their own business.
Without such a letter, a GBPA licencee would be forced to pay duty on all goods purchased for use in its business, sharply escalating business costs. At least a portion of this increased cost would be passed on to consumers, raising prices at the worst possible time – in a recession.
Sidney Sweeting comments on Mr Lowe’s battle on Weblog Bahamas:
“The issue of Chris Lowe and his battles with Customs in Freeport continue to bother me because I am convinced that he is fighting an issue for all of us, not just for himself and his company. So often many of us fall in line and do just what we are told because we mistakenly believe that becasue the laws are made by Government then Government will obey the laws just like we are expected to do. Unfortunately, many of us do not know the law as Chris does (that is not an excuse for the rest of us) and he is standing toe to toe with them.
I find this all very frightening. You should too.”
