No Retaliation from Sandals Grande Antigua as Conflict with Gov’t Continues

Sandals Grande Antigua has decided against taking retaliatory measures in response to Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s recent comments regarding the hotel’s outstanding tax obligations to the Inland Revenue Department.

There were fears that the hotel may pull out of the twin island nation because of what many perceived as PM Browne’s “harsh” treatment.
However, the word is that the resort will maintain its current presence in Antigua and Barbuda.

“My understanding is that they had a staff meeting and they indicated that there would be no retaliation and that they would not be closing the hotel. I am very happy to hear that because we know in the past, they had that knee-jerk reaction whenever there is a conflict,” he said.

In a striking statement last week, Browne cautioned that if the renowned resort chain chooses to shut down its operations in the twin-island nation, his government is prepared to take decisive action by presenting a bill to Parliament aimed at seizing the property for compulsory operation and transferring it to another investor.

This ultimatum comes amid an ongoing dispute between Sandals Resorts and the Browne administration.

The dispute revolves around allegations that the luxurious hotel chain owes more than EC$24 million in taxes for the periods between 2017 and 2021.

The matter is currently before the courts, but Browne said his government is willing to sit at the table with Sandals in a bid to resolve the issue