Prime Minister Philip Davis’s Remarks on the Eve of VAT Removal on Unprepared Food

Good evening, everyone.

I wanted to be here in the grocery store because this is where people feel the pressure most. Families feel it in the cart. They feel it at the register. They feel it when they get home and try to make the week work.

That is why my focus has been clear. Bring down the cost of living and give Bahamian families real breathing room.

Starting tomorrow, VAT on unprepared food goes to zero.

That means when you come to buy the food your family needs, more of your money stays with you. 

That is the point of this change. Relief should reach people in a way they can see and feel.

We took this step because food prices weigh heavily on working people, on seniors, on parents, and on households already carrying enough. 

Government cannot solve every pressure in one day. But government can act where it has the power to act. 

This is one of those areas.

And I want the Bahamian people to know we did not do this alone. 

I had the pleasure of meeting with the Bahamas Retail Association, and I am happy to say that our retailers have committed to working with us to ensure that these savings are passed on directly to you, the consumer. 

That is the kind of partnership this country needs: government and the private sector working together so that the people save more of what they spend.

I also want to say this. Cutting VAT is one part of the job. Making sure the benefit reaches the public is the other part. 

The savings from this change must be passed on to the Bahamian people.

Because this is your relief.

My government has worked step by step to ease the strain on Bahamian households. 

We reduced VAT. 

We raised the minimum wage. 

We removed import duty on many food items. And now we are removing VAT on unprepared food altogether.

So when people ask what matters most to me, the answer is easy. 

I want life to be more affordable for Bahamian families. 

I want people to feel that help is reaching them in their daily lives. 

And I want every bit of savings from this measure to show up where it should, in the pockets of the Bahamian people.

Tomorrow, families should begin to see that change for themselves.

Thank you, and God bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.