Bar Owners Dissatisfied

The Barkeepers & Operators Association says it is deeply disheartened and dissatisfied with their sector not being acknowledged in the 2021 National Budget. They say it appears that the yearly $1 billion their industry accrues is not important to the Government. They believe that this shows disrespect to the over 20,000 employees in the sector who have lost their jobs. Further, the business owners say they are now facing bankruptcy as their greatly reduced income has not allowed them to pay their bills which have been incurred over the past six months, through the various lockdowns. They say despite many attempts they were unable to obtain a pre-Budget meeting with the Ministry of Finance for discussion of their challenges. The Association acknowledges that some positive measures have been put in place in the budget but note that the government once again failed to address the issue of the illegal sale of alcohol and illegal gambling. They are calling for a meeting with the Minister of Finance for open discussion.