In his first national address of the year, the Prime Minister has announced—drum roll, please—that VAT on grocery items will be reduced to zero percent (0%). And so, we are instructed to applaud. Loudly. Enthusiastically. Preferably standing.
Never mind the inconvenient detail that when the New Day Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government took office, this is essentially where VAT on groceries already was. But why let facts get in the way of a good victory lap?
“VAT to be axed on all groceries,” trumpeted the headlines, as though a historic burden has been lifted rather than a policy being quietly returned to its original parking spot.
According to the announcement, as of April 1, VAT will be removed from all grocery items—fresh produce, baby food, frozen items, and packaged goods—though, mercifully, not hot or ready-to-eat meals. One must preserve at least some tax creativity.
The Prime Minister described this as a “major tax policy shift” aimed at easing the cost-of-living crisis. A bold phrase, considering the same administration first reduced VAT from 12% to 10%, then from 10% to 5%, and now—after years of pressure and public frustration—has finally landed back at zero. Progress, apparently, is a full circle.

Let me be clear: it would be utterly ungrateful of me not to thank and applaud the New Day PLP government for this announcement. It reminds me so fondly of the gratitude I was expected to show when my Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) bill skyrocketed after they took office, only to later be “reduced” back to normal levels. That, too, was marketed as progress.
This is the New Day formula: raise the burden, watch the backlash, then partially undo the damage and demand applause for your generosity.
And so, fittingly, just in time for April Fool’s Day—April 1, 2026—Prime Minister Philip Davis announces the elimination of VAT on non-cooked foods, and we must all be thankful. Grateful, even. Because clearly, this is not policy correction—it is benevolence.
We must be thankful and grateful, much like we were expected to be thankful for the recent increase in civil servants’ salaries—an increase that somehow managed to disappoint nearly everyone it was supposed to help. But one gets the sense that disappointment is acceptable; ingratitude is not.
After all, the Prime Minister may well be disappointed in us if we fail to clap hard enough. He may even consider us ungrateful. Because surely, this decision has nothing to do with rising public frustration, spiralling living costs, or—perish the thought—an election conveniently lurking just around the corner.
No. This is all being done purely out of the goodness of his heart.
And for that, we are reminded once again: say thank you.
The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) fails for one reason; it is their nature.
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