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Gov’t intervention necessary to address high cost of living – Corbin
Robert Corbin
The reduction in the price of fuel will in no way appease the high cost of living faced by citizens since according to Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform, Robert Corbin, the cost of living was already high before fuel prices increased.
Corbin was at the time responding to questions during his party’s weekly press conference on Thursday.
He noted that even if there is actual evidence that the prices have decreased it will not change the factual situation that Guyanese are under pressure due to the implementation of the Value Added Tax.
“Even before the prices went up people were finding it difficult to live because of the draconian 16 per cent VAT and the consequential rise in cost of almost every food item in this country. Whatever it goes down by would not change the situation,” Corbin opined.
He said that in order to address the situation in the interest of the affected citizens, Government must intervene by reducing the percentage of the VAT, even as he disclosed that some $11 billion was raked in through this avenue for the first half of this year.
“They have been raking in money because of the way the tax on fuel is calculated. When fuel goes up the government simply collects more tax…”
And according to Corbin even though the government has announced its intention to help citizens it is clear that it is not prepared to bring any genuine relief to the workers of this country.
He added that it is significant, that the Minister of Finance has belatedly published the legally mandated mid-year report, noting that, one of the reasons for its delayed publication is obvious.
“It reveals that $11B has already been raked in by Value Added Tax for the first half of this year, thus revealing how deceptive the Government has been with their original claim that the tax would have been revenue neutral.
“Unfortunately, the government continues to insult the people of Guyana by offering no relief to their present high cost of living plight albeit, the glowing report presented by the Minister of Finance.”
Additionally, Corbin related that the well-publicized single-parent relief fund has not materialised and the five per cent increase for a few public servants has failed to offer any substantive relief to the suffering people of Guyana.
“Now that the mid-year report has been finally published, the PNCR calls upon the Jagdeo regime to pay the single parent relief now, to reduce the price of kerosene and increase the wages of public servants by at least 10 per cent as an interim half-year measure,” Corbin said.
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