Speeches by Dr. Douglas De Couto, JP, MP

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

15 words

So, I guess I will take that. I mentioned the insurance cycle, right? [Inaudible interjections]

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

123 words

So here is a very specific example of what could happen with this cycle, right? A great year, no losses, good CIT money coming in. Right? Big tax credits . Companies are doing well. They are hiring people. They are staffed up. They are not too worried about the expenses because they have had a good couple of years. That …

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

58 words

—we are going to pay out a lot of tax credits because, as we have learned, these companies are earning these —I say pay out . I know it is not cash right away. These companies are earning these tax credits even though the company, even though the country may not be making a lot of CIT. [Crosstalk]

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

438 words

Then we go to the following year and maybe they have okay profits, but they are still getting credits for the losses in the prior year. And they are still getting the credits for all the people that they are hiring or have hired. And maybe what they even decide to do if [they have] a couple bad years is …

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

159 words

Oh, 1.4 [per cent] . So how are you going to build the bridges? How are you going to do more road paving? How are you going to build more houses? Who is doing that work? We are going to have to get more immigration. You are going to have to pay people more. The economy is going to get …

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

221 words

Of course, Mr. Speaker, I believe the P remier said, We are not going to tell you yet . But sometimes, which is the exact point I am trying to make . . . this issue is so big, so important, it requires the kind of careful thought and communication and con-sultation and sharing of information that is above and …

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

223 words

This is not a comment about the Government , per se. That is just human nature. That is how it works. Bigger companies with more money need tighter controls. When there is more money involved in a government, it needs tighter controls. That is just a fact. That is not a reflection on . . . It could be an …

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

217 words

Not just investing in it —lights , but making sure it was maintained over the long . . . It is one thing to go build a house and say , Wow! We have got community housing. It is another thing to make sure that community housing is properly maintained over its lifespan. Money has to be set aside for …

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

20 words

—we need to fundamentally change how we take care of our people and how we take care of our economy.

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

9 words

Very kind, Mr. Speaker. [Inaudible interjection and laughter ]

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

90 words

No, I am mindful of everybody and it being Friday night, Mr. Speaker. As I was saying, Mr. Speaker . . . [You] gave me an opportunity to repeat myself, in fact. So instead of using the CIT money to prop up a low -performing Government . . . That is my opinion, which I think is no surprise, because …

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

61 words

—fundamentally change. And this is my request here to the Government and the aim of the OBA —fundamentally change how we take care of our people and how we grow and manage our economy. [It is] e asy to say, hard to do, and based on their track record, this Government i s not up to it. Thank you, Mr. …

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

23 words

Yes, thank you , Mr. Speaker. I can assure you it won't be about the corporate income tax — [Laughter and general uproar]

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

18 words

But I could talk more if you like. [Laughter and crosstalk ] GOVERNMENT ACCUSED OF “REGULATORY CAPTURE ”

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

16 words

Mr. Speaker , are you familiar with the term regulatory capture ? That's a rhetorical question.

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

9 words

Regulatory capture. Hon. E. David Burt: Here we go.

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

185 words

It's when the organisations that are supposed to be paying attention to something, in charge of something, are in fact having their behaviour influenced by the thing that they are in charge of. You could call it the fox in the henhouse , perhaps , if you like. And frankly I have been observing a whole bunch of stuff for …

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

272 words

Mr. Speaker , we have several examples where with this particular set of investors and companies have received multiple waivers of environmental rules and regulations . We can see in the building on Harrington Sound. We see all kinds of existing examples that have allowed them to monetise property which prior owners were not able to monetise due to environmental …

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

102 words

Mr. Speaker , we can put that example to the side because there are other examples . Right? There is the house at Shark Hole. T here's the SDO in Southampton. There is the sweetheart deal for financing and supporting the financing of the hotel in Southampton. There is the bailout of unemployment severance pay for the workers . I …

5 Dec 2025 House of Assembly

Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly

66 words

And so . . . and so it seems , Mr. Speaker . . . actually , I am thinking about that deal . That deal was so good for G encom, it is as if they had government officials , senior government officials over a barrel . And I can only draw the conclusions that our government officials are …