Members
Parliament
Transparency
Dr. Douglas De Couto, JP, MP

Dr. Douglas De Couto, JP, MP

1768
Speeches
616,883
Words Spoken
69
Sittings Active
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
209 words
Inflation has stabili sed and is hovering around 2 per cent post-COVID -19, which is welcome, but stabili sation does not mean affordability. Prices remain elevated and continue to rise from a much higher base. Bermuda House of Assembly Since 2018, cumulative inflation has reached 14.1 per cent . Median incomes have increased only 10.8 per cent since 2017, largely …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
589 words
Economic performance cannot be measured solely by revenue. It must be measured by whether people are staying, working, and building their futures here. More people living and working in Bermuda means more economic activity, creating higher demand for goods and services. This in turn leads to greater consumer demand, s tronger local business activity and a broader tax base. This …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
369 words
Given our over -reliance on international business, we must diversify where we can, including regrowing tourism. Mr. Speaker, the tourism data raises serious concerns. In 2025: • Total vacation and business visitors remain 17 per cent below 2019 levels and 11 per cent below 2024 —last year . 1906 27 February 2026 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly • …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
135 words
Mr. Speaker, if that preceding list of facts and statistics seems repetitive and relentless, that is because the pattern is consistent. This is not an isolated weakness. It’s not just one cherry -picked statistic to make a point . It’s a wide range of economic, demographic, fiscal, and sectoral government indicators that together graphically illustrate Bermuda’s decline under this Government …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
63 words
The PLP Government’s failure to make meaningful progress in many critical areas has externali sed and pushed the costs and consequences onto Bermudians. Government failures have squeezed Bermudians’ wallets and disturbed their peace of mind. This is not a question of funding; i t is a question of execution and delivery. Simply put, this Government has not, and cannot, get …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
260 words
Mr. Speaker, t he Government’s failed education reform, unfortunately and sadly , stands out as a glaring example of failure. Funding is not the primary issue. Bermuda’s public education system already spends more per student than private schools. The underlying problems are leadership, execution, and accountability. Who will be held responsible for these failures? Corporate Income Tax revenue cannot fix …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
537 words
Mr. Speaker, health care reform is stalled. The promised Universal Health Care is always “advancing,” but never appears closer on the horizon, while digital health care progress means nothing to Bermudians stuck in hospital corridors. The PLP Government’s failures means many Bermudians still struggle with preventable health Bermuda House of Assembly issues. Thousands still lack adequate health insurance. For those …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
85 words
Mr. Speaker, all vehicle owners understand in their bones, literally, the costs of vehicle ownership. This is due to the G overnment’s neglect of the roads and the potholes. This ongoing neglect also makes us less attractive to visitors, reducing Bermudians’ income from Tourism. The G overnment has once again only allocated $5 million for road replacement this year, calling …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
31 words
Mr. Speaker —yes, it is coming. It is always coming, Mr. Speaker . It is always on the horizon. Let us see it come a little closer. [Inaudible interjections ] Seniors
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
156 words
Mr. Speaker, perhaps most tragically, there is the impact on seniors due to decades of financial mismanagement by successive PLP Gov-ernments. The debts accumulated over the years left inadequate resources for senior health care. Our seniors have lost decades of support they deserve. We are surprised that the Government did not mention a specific resource for the 2024 National Seniors …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
255 words
Mr. Speaker, the One Bermuda Alliance supported the G overnment’s Public Service pension reform. However, reform of the Contributory Pension Fund, or Social Insurance, seriously lags behind. According to the 2023 actuarial review, by 2042, Social Insurance will run out of money to support its full 1908 27 February 2026 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly payment commitments, unless …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
137 words
Mr. Speaker, Bermudians are increasingly concerned for their safety and worried about crime. The Police Service is woefully understaffed, and there are critical safety and security issues in our prison. These are long- standing problems, yet the Government has failed to make progress. Safety is not optional. We need safety for investors and business confidence; we need safety for tourism; …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
402 words
Mr. Speaker, Bermuda’s dependence on IB and the Corporate Income Tax requires transparency and conservative planning. We must understand the dynamics of IB and the details of the Corporate Income Tax. Yet, despite repeated requests for information, the PLP Government h as refused to provide even the most basic information about who will be paying CIT. Will revenue come from …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
40 words
Some things are worth repeating, Mr. Speaker . We must plan conservatively and expect less CIT revenue in the near term, the medium term, and the long term. Hopefully that message is getting through. Corporate Income Tax and Fiscal Management
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
161 words
Mr. Speaker, the Government’s Budget and the success of its plans depend solely on the Corporate Income Tax. The $600 million CIT revenue pencilled in for 2026/27 represents one - third of total revenue. Bermuda House of Assembly We must plan realistically and conservatively so that any surprises become good surprises, not bad ones. The key questions are: • What …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
577 words
In addition to the risks to i nternational business profits that will reduce the CIT income from IB, there are also risks arising from the evolving Global Minimum Tax framework, and from Bermuda companies’ responses to the CIT and Bermuda Government policies. Mr. Speaker, the reality is that the world is just beginning the Global Minimum Tax regime, or GMT, …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
91 words
The scale and complexity of CIT revenue places Bermuda into a new phase of managing our country’s finances. This is especially true given the country’s constrained fiscal position prior to the CIT, and the PLP Government’s poor track record of accountabili ty. The OBA recommends that the country implement a set of strong and binding guardrails into law. Mr. Speaker, …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
125 words
Yes, perhaps we have some agreement, Mr. Speaker . Once, sharing these roles may have been feasible, but this is no longer true. Bermuda’s more com-plicated fiscal landscape, the dominance of sophisticated international business in our economy, and the complexity of the new global tax regimes need and 1910 27 February 2026 Official Hansard Report Bermuda House of Assembly deserve …
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
38 words
Mr. Speaker, t he One Bermuda Alliance originally proposed an amendment to the orig-inal CIT Bill to guarantee that the funds are used for debt repayment and critical infrastructure—to guarantee, Mr. Speaker . The PLP Government rejected it.
27 Feb 2026 House of Assembly
Official Hansard Report - House of Assembly
87 words
We are generally supportive of most of the Fiscal Responsibility Panel’s (FRP) recommendations, but with some critical caveats. The intro-duction of a stability fund to manage volatility in CIT re-ceipts is a good idea. We would create legislation to adequately fill this fund from CIT, before other uses of CIT revenue. We would also ensure tight legislation that prevents off …