After the Counsellors’ lame attempt to justify the legalization of the numbers industry was smartly refuted, a new lobbyist group is making their own ridiculous claims.
The Counsellors, a normally respectable PR company, wrote a silly letter that was published in newspapers and online media, in an attempt to convince Bahamians that there are benefits to legalizing the illegal numbers industry in The Bahamas.
Their arguments were ridiculous and based on false information. One of The Bahamas’ top bloggers tore them apart like a hurricane.
So, now another group of pro-numbers lobbyists have written an even sillier letter to the editors of the local papers.
Below, you’ll find the letter with my responses.
We, the Alliance of the newly formed committee named All for One and One for All, after searching far and wide have made the following discovery, except for Atlantis and the government, the web shop cafes do the following:
1) Hires more Bahamians than any other business
This is a disingenuous argument. It is based on combining employees from all illegal numbers operations. If one were to combine all non-numbers businesses, the total would dwarf the number of employees that work at web hops.
2) Makes an annual contribution to NIB of $14,438,193.
There is no evidence to support that claim. And how can illegal businesses contribute to NIB? Do drug dealers pay NIB?
3) Have a higher water bill than most businesses.
Why?
4) Pays more to BTC, BEC and Cable Bahamas than any other business – $12,277,650 annually.
Again, if true, this is a combined figure. The total expenditure of non-numbers businesses exceeds this by over 1000%.
5) Capital improvement $7,340,550 annually.
There is no evidence to support this. By the way, the money spent on capital improvements by illegal businesses should be confiscated under the “Proceeds of Crime” laws.
6) Has a higher rental bill $2,296,816 annually.
Higher than what?
7) Annual Business License $125,198.
How do illegal businesses get business licenses? Someone needs to do some ‘splainin bout dat.
8 ) Tens of thousands of dollars are shipped out of the country on a weekly basis to purchase the Florida lottery.
This is not something to brag about. We need to keep money in The Bahamas, not send it to the U.S.
9) Annual sponsorship $1,557,000.
These are illegal funds and the sponsorships might be considered bribes, depending on where the money went.
10) Annual donations $4,121,250.
Ditto
11) Annual rent $2,296,816.
This is an unsubstantiated claim.
12) Annual other operating expenses $8,756,580.
This is an unsubstantiated claim.
13) Annual payroll $14,438,193.
Somebody is lying. How can the payroll be the same as the NIB contribution (see above)?
14) Because of the web shop cafes thousands of young men and women are now employed.
First of all, it is hundreds, not thousands. Second of all, these people are aiding and abetting criminal actvities. Is that what we want for our young people?
15) Because of the web shops these young men and women are now able to feed their children giving them levels of education and a higher standard of living, never dreamed of before.
People who made money off the cocaine business in the 1980s were also feeding their families and living an extravagant lifestyle. Again, is this really what we want for our society?
16) More than 170,000 adults play the local numbers daily and share in the winnings of $265,845,762 per year in the not too distant past we too scorned at these web shops, but after having the scales removed from our eyes we say to all and sundry that we deem it necessary the numbers be legalised forthwith.
This is nonsense. That would mean every adult in the country is playing numbers and the amount of winnings is grossly inflated.
We say this not only because of the aforementioned, therefore we beg your indulgence to see the benefits to be derived from the legalisation of the numbers as follows:
1) decreased unemployment.
2) millions of dollars in taxes towards sports and education.
3) millions of dollars that would no longer leave the country to play the Florida lottery.
4) taxes in the following amount:
• at 10 per cent $10,412,174;
• at 15 per cent $15,618,261;
• at 20 per cent $20,824,348;
• at 25 per cent $ 26,030,435
5) These increased revenues will enable government to lower taxes in other areas.
Read the orginal blog post to learn the folly of such arguments. They are all patently false.
As we leave you we the Alliance of All for One and One for All will be bringing you more revelations in due time, until then may you continue to dwell in the land where winners live and every one wins.
TONY PRATT
Nassau,
June, 2012
