Dear Sir,

I hope you will allow me to set the record straight. During a debate on customs duty legislation in the House of Assembly on July 14, David Burt, the Premier and Minister of Finance, announced duty relief for personal loose tobacco imported by travellers. The Opposition leader questioned why customs duty relief had not been afforded to The Smoke Shop.

The Royal Gazettereported that Mr Burt then “suggested that the One Bermuda Alliance was making a point on behalf of the Gibbons family whom he [Mr Burt] said owns a tobacco manufacturer”.

For the record, “the Gibbons family” and their business interests have no ownership or participation in The Smoke Shop or my tobacco business. The business is owned and controlled entirely by myself, and this has been the case since I started the business in 2013.

Based on the remarks by Mr Burt, it is clearly not in my best interest to allow this misunderstanding to continue.

MICHAEL HESLOP

Pembroke