Bermuda’s Opposition leader Cole Simons has apologized to his colleagues in the One Bermuda Alliance (OBA) after being forced to back down on plans to reintroduce controversial travel authorization fees if the party was returned to office.
The sudden reversal of the position, which Simons announced in Parliament on Friday, looks set to reignite questions over his future as party leader after holding the post for just over 27 months.
He told the legislators last Friday that if the OBA – which holds six of the 36 seats in the House of Assembly after heavy defeats in the last two general elections – regained government it would “reintroduce the travel authorization fees which can be embedded in ticket costs or collected on arrival in Bermuda, supported by international business”.
Following a special OBA caucus on Sunday, Cole Simons said he publicly apologized to colleagues for his “error of judgment” in not consulting them on the matter.
The unexpected pledge to bring back the highly controversial levy – introduced in June 2020 to monitor the COVID-19 status of arrivals, including proof of travel health insurance – in the guise of embedded extra payments on travel tickets clearly caught senior colleagues by surprise, the Royal Gazette newspaper said.
Also referring to a controversial pledge to examine imposing a value-added tax on healthcare services, Simons said in a statement: “I did not adequately consult with, or vet these suggestions, with our caucus — our parliamentary representatives and candidates.
“It was an error in judgment for me to do this without consultation and I would like to extend a public apology to them and the people of Bermuda.
“Let me stress, the OBA does not want to see the residents of Bermuda burdened with any additional taxes and they do not wish to see the reintroduction of the travel authorization (TA) or any affiliated fees. The OBA will not reintroduce the TA in any form.
“Over the weekend, I apologized to my colleagues; there was never any ill intent, and our commitment, as a team, is to continue to work together for the betterment of Bermuda,” he added.
In a sign of a split ahead of Simons’ announcement, Shadow Tourism Minister Michael Dunkley, a former premier, dismissed the TA fees proposal and insisted it would not happen.
Dunkley told the Gazette before Simons’ statement: “It is not coming back. I can assure you it is absolutely not coming back.”
Asked about Simons’ original promise to reintroduce the fees as an add-on to travel costs, Dunkley said: “I think time has overtaken it on this.”
“That had been suggested in the past, but I can assure you the TA is not coming back in any form.”
The ruling Progressive Labour Party (PLP) government raked in more than US$20 million from the TA fees which had to be paid by all arriving passengers through an online form.
Premier and Finance Minister David Burt originally said the fee, first set at $75 and later reduced to $40, would run until this spring, but was scrapped last November along with all pandemic-related public safety measures.
Critics had attacked the TA form as a big turn-off for tourists, saying it handed rival destinations, which eased restrictions earlier, a big advantage.
Cole Simons took over as Opposition Leader following the resignation from the post of Craig Cannonier, a former OBA premier, in November 2020.
CMC/
 after being forced to back){kind=link}