**Hon. Perry G. Christie, M.P.
Prime Minister
Commonwealth of The Bahamas**

Earlier this week Prime Minister Christie presented remarks to a group of Chief Executive Officers visiting The Bahamas for a Harvard Business School Class of CEOs 2003 Reunion, advising them that they were in the right place at the right time. *”We are poised for unprecedented development and we invite you to join us,”* he said.

The Bahamas was described as a “a clean and honest” destination to do business in, with no income tax, corporate tax, inheritance tax or any other form of taxation that would be a “disincentive” for legitimate foreign investment.

Paul D. Moss of Dominion Management Services Limited, a local investment management service provider, was facilitator of the event, through one of the firm’s New York affiliates. Mr. Moss said, *”We wanted to show the movers and shakers around the world what The Bahamas has to offer. We are a politically stable country with established investment protocols. The Bahamas remains a leader in this region, and it was a good fit. Arising from this initiative, already there are plans underway to establish trade companies and we should also see an increase of financial services — further enhancing our jurisdiction.”*

The Bahamas is a land of unlimited opportunities, and the Prime Minister pointed out that never before in its history have the opportunities to invest been “so ripe and so attractive”. The Bahamas has over 270 years of unbroken parliamentary democracy, and is a world-class destination with a combination of old world charm and first world resort facilities — plus a very educated workforce. The CEOs also were reminded that The Bahamas’ close proximity to the United States adds to the attractiveness of doing business here.

The Bahamas is open for business, and *”It is a considered policy of my government that investors, both foreign and domestic, are invited to sit at the table of national development as full partners,”* said Prime Minister Christie. In this connection, he said the Bahamas Government looks to the Harvard CEOs – touted as story makers, pace setters and innovators — for inspiration, ingenuity and gifted insights on the best way forward.

Participating CEOs represented a wide range of business activity, including resort development, communications technology, manufacturing, merchandising, transportation, financial services, agriculture, and fisheries.