Antiguans Could Have Owned Half Moon Bay Resort - by Hon Gaston Browne

Antigua St. John's - The leader of the opposition Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) has said the United Progressive Party (UPP) administration denied the public the chance to own the embattled Half Moon Bay (HMB) resort.

According to Gaston Browne, if the government had not acquired the 115-acre beachfront property, the non-develop land tax could have been applied, and then the resort could have been taken over for a nominal fee.

"Do you know that Antiguans and Barbudans would have owned Half Moon Bay for little and nothing?" the MP asked. "You know why... there is a five percent non-develop land tax that we have on the books." 

He continued, "And Half Moon Bay is owned by expatriates, non-Antiguans, so that if they had not developed the property, we could have applied that for the last 18 years (at) five percent per annum - that's 90 percent of the property plus they have not paid their property taxes and so on. So I guarantee you that if these guys had any skill whatsoever, any competence, that we could have owned Half Moon Bay literally without even paying anything, for that matter, in the sense that the non-citizen, non-development land tax would have amounted to about 90 percent of the value, plus other taxes, and I am sure they would have had arrears in taxes, even prior operational taxes." 

Browne said the country has instead been left with a liability of about $54 M without any corresponding value. 

Minister of Tourism John Maginley has said the government is in discussions with an investor to possibly develop the resort. The agreement is still being negotiated, and no documents have been signed yet. 

The UPP administration is yet to compensate the previous owners over US $70 M, having completed the acquisition of the property in 2007 under the Land Acquisition Act. 

In June that year, the Privy Council allowed the government the powers of eminent domain to expropriate HMB. 

The battle between the shareholders of HMB and the government began in 1995 after the passage of Hurricane Luis, which destroyed the hotel. 

The Lester Bird administration started legal proceedings to obtain the resort, citing that the move was in the best interest of the people.