What on earth is this about.

In More for Less today there is a sign that says if you pay in US Dollar cash before 1/1/11 they will charge an extra 2.2% transaction fee.
Yes CASH, 2.2% more. it's not a mis-translation it says the same in other languages as well.

I don't see any logic to doing this, because they have accepted dollars cash there for years.

The answer is simple. I will no longer shop at More For Less until this changes.

Hello Skywalker.

I am not 100% sure but I think the answer is pretty simple. The official conversion rate for the dollar is 1.79 Naf for one dollar. That is what they will use on 1/1/11 to chance everything. In shops they have always used 1.75 for practical reasons (the cash register is still in Naf). The difference between 1.75 and 1.79 is 2.2%

So I guess they will do things just the same as always and the same as all shops BUT since they have priced the articles in dollars already (they are obligated by law) at the 1.79 exchange rate it means that you pay 2.2% more than what it says on the price tag.

Feel free to boycott More4Less but you will get exactly the same at most all shops on the island.

I wonder how many shops in the USA take Nafl's or how many UK shops take Dollars.

The poor island is being stripped of its identity. First it's currency, now its status.

Antony..I believe the island made an EXCELLENT choice when they voted to use the US dollar as their official currency (as well as becoming a municipality with Holland). It is advantageous for Americans (who contribute a major part of Bonaire's tourism) who are not exposed to a currency play when they travel to Bonaire vis-a-vis the value of the US dollar now. Additionally it will dramatically increase real estate values as more Europeans decide to invest their much stronger Euros on the island. This will benefit all who own property on Bonaire.

But granted, you may view that as a bad thing. Personally, I think it's a win win for Bonaire and it's citizens. I guess it just depends on your personal perspective.

Vince.

The choices that have been made are indeed excellent for those who want to invest & currently have properties & businesses. Sadly, that is not the majority of the locals, their chances of becoming home owners are fast disappearing as land is snapped up for the development of properties that they couldn't even dream of owning.

I don't mean that in a patronising way but have you seen what the average salary is for locals? I fear that the capitalist dream will leave them behind as it has done on just about every other Caribbean island.

Start looking forward to a future of gated communities, McDonalds & all-inclusive hotels.

Yes, Antony I am aware of what the average salary is for locals. But "the capitalist dream" of owning real estate is very much in the grasp of local hard working folks on the island. Lets not sell them short. They can own their own home with discipline and hard work.

Here are the facts. There are affordable homes being built in the area of $50,000 to $90,000. Just check out the site for Bonaire Sunshine Homes..
http://www.bonairesunshinehomes.com/search.asp

Are you going to get waterfront property for this? Of course not, but a modestly priced home can be purchased.

These homes are affordable on a salary of $12,000-$20,000 per year. The general rule of "affordability" is that housing costs do not exceed 30% of your income. Hypothetically if someone earned $15,000 per year or $300 a week, that's $1200 a month which would yield income to support a monthly payment of $360. $360 a month would carry financing of a 20 year term mortgage in the amount of $50,000 @ 6.5%. If a household had 2 incomes (which is the way I started) all the more they can afford. Additionally, payments would be lower over a 30 year term.

We all had to start somewhere and rest assured without going into any more details, I know full well what it means "too stretch" to purchase your first home. I am also quite familiar with "sweat equity". I strongly believe that Bonaire will continue to be developed (I realize not what everyone wants to hear), but this development will greatly assist many people. No reason that we need McDonalds or gated communities for the island.

I hope that you are right Vince.

From what I have witnessed on every other Caribbean island that I have visited, I don't see anything different in place to stop Bonaire going the same way. It's all well & good being able to by a cheap house but its another thing entirely to buy the land to put it on.

Tourism & development has historically ignored the effects on locals & the environment. Before somebody steps in, beaches are eroded, reefs are damaged and the mass dumping of waste becomes unsustainable. By the time somebody decides to assess the situation, the damage is done. The worst scenario then is that the visitors stop coming, developers & hoteliers take their money & run & the locals are left with an island that a shadow of its former self. Best scenario is that the island will get developed to within an inch of its life with total disregard of the environment.

Once the 'them & us' culture establishes itself (and believe me it will), crime increases & the streets become less safe. That will see the introduction of All-Inclusive resorts. These establishments move money away from the local economy, small businesses as well as limiting interaction with locals. Money leaks out of the economy and away from the community which in turn, exasperates the them & us scenario.

Maybe Bonaire will get the balance right but it looks unlikely. With the increase in cruise ship passengers alone, tourism has already increased to a level that can't be sustained. Increasing tourism to the current level before having a system in place to safely dispose of waste was madness.

Nobody really knows what the Netherlands have in mind for the island. Some say that they will concentrate on Eco-Tourism while others say that they want it to be self sufficient. That of course can only be achieved by introducing mass tourism.

Time will indeed tell us which one of us is right. Believe me when I say that I hope it is you.

More important for the locals:
The schools
The hospital
The care for the olders
The social network/money for unemployed and older or sick people
The care for abused kids and orphans
etc etc etc

When the local population voted in the referendum with more than 60% for the direct link with Holland they certainly took that in account

Loosing identity is up the the people ... the Fries in Holland still have their own language and culture and they are surrounded by Dutch and Germans ....

Brigitte.

Lets hope that they walk the walk as well as they talk the talk. Hey! What am I saying, Politicians never tell lies. Do they?

60% sounds pretty impressive but the turnout was barely more than 50% of the population. History tells us that those who (foolishly maybe) do not vote are usually the disenchanted & disillusioned.

You should read the agreement and should follow how much money Holland as already spend and will spend in the next years for the BES islands ....

A voting turnout of about 60% is a normal turnout on Bonaire ....