Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 01, 2022 Letters
Dear Editor,
I welcome the month of September and think that budget preparations for 2023 are well underway and starting to go into higher gear. As known, the 2022 budget was visited in its late hours by well-connected, highly influential, citizens – to remain nameless in both their persons and groups – who weighed in with their pet preferences and succeeded in having those huge chunks of pork included in the national financial blueprint for this year. For my part, I dip my toe in the water very early, and appeal for consideration of the following poor people recommendations, which I am sure will have the benefit of being national in effect, and without the colour of exclusion. Like everything else, it is a balancing act, which means that if the poorer and lesser (and hungrier) in Guyana are going to be given a hand, then it is a slightly smaller fistful of dollars for the already largely well taken care of, well-incentivized private sector. Its members got a boatload and planeload in 2022, it is time to give the little people of Guyana a little something. These are my budget hopes, hopefully not later, bitter budget blues.
My first recommendation is for a temporary suspension of VAT on everything for at least a year. If that is too steep a descent, then reduce it to 5%, or by half. Second, announce a reduction in income tax to 15%; and introduce exemptions of $5,000 per child, and possibly other dependents. Third, increase Old Age Pension (OAP) by at least $12,000; that would be per month, not for a whole year; again, if that is a bit hard to swallow for the fastest growing economy in the universe, and biggest GDP in any galaxy, then nudge it up to $35,000 a month. Let me say this, for those Guyanese who depend mostly on monthly OAP, they are nothing but walking dead, except that they and the rest of us don’t openly acknowledge it. I hope that President Ali, and the Guyana scholar are paying some kind attention.
Though it may not offset all that spending, I recommend the levying of what I take a risk and call a ‘sin tax’ of 50% on rum, smokes, and cards, wheels, games, and gambling in general. I recognise that the hotel and casino crowd are not going to be either amused or excited, but somebody has to do these dirty jobs, deliver tough messages, and make hard calls. Taking this taxing bit and the next recommendation in consideration, I want to make something clear: I have nothing against the private sector. Zilch. Not one of its members could be more capitalist than yours truly. Naturally, this is sans greed, dirty tricks, off-the-books practices, and shadow arrangements. There has to be a balance somewhere, and there also must be some point at which the PPP Government’s reverse redistribution of taxpayers’ wealth to repay the private sector for elections support and campaign financing ends. In saying this, I know that the private sector represents a combination of three treasured PPP constituents: race, religion, and riches. In terms of the latter, the biggest piece is dirty money. All things accepted, it is a hard sell to dislodge the PPP to cease this gift giving to the already rich.
The last recommendation is for taxing real estate holdings of all political officeholders at 90%. Look at what the British once did to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Manchester United’s Georgie Best, among many others; of course, their earnings were legitimate. I hope that this 90% tax gig of mine did not offend any legal luminary, or any excellency, present or prior. According to local lore, they are prime owners and operators in the domestic building and renting games, fronts and all. It should be noticed that I made no recommendations with regard to duty and all that stuff. My recommendations are for the people who flock to the Post Offices (pensions), municipal markets (basics), bus parks and speedboats (no explanations should be needed). If the PPP brain trust prefers a blanket Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) or People’s Prosperity Programme (PPP), I wouldn’t object, last acronym and all; just as long as it represents a monthly stipend of between $40,000 to 60,000 to desperate, hurting bottom feeding recipients. Now, off I go.
Sincerely,
GHK Lall
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