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Jagdeo defends 8% salary increase for Public Servants
Kaieteur News – Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo is of the view that the eight percent increase in wages by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is enough for Public Servants, given the slew of measures implemented by the Administration to cushion inflation.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo
He justified the salary increase on Friday after he was questioned by Reporters on the issue at the sidelines of an event held at State House.
The former President went into detail to explain that the country’s macro economy must be analyzed, even as he noted there is still a “huge fiscal deficit”.
“Many people believe, they have this view that we have received a lot of funds from the oil and gas companies. The Minister of Finance pointed out that they are modest sums that we have received. Modest that will grow to fairly large sums in the future years. We still run a huge fiscal deficit given the development needs and the other needs of the country for intervention,” the former Head of State explained.
He went on to point out, “If you look on the whole how much has been given back to the Government to the people of this country on the tax measures that we reversed under APNU, if you analyze those measures that’s $40 billion less in taxes that people have to pay. Public Servants pay that too.”
Jagdeo was adamant that had his Government not reversed those tax measures, Guyanese would have been harder hit by the cost of living, currently affecting countries across the globe.
The VP also boasted that the PPP managed to distribute some $6 billion to 200,000 school children this year.
He was also keen to note that Pensioners also received an increase of $8,000 this year, while some 11,000 Guyanese who were formerly unemployed are now benefitting from part time jobs.
“We have given out in cash grants to people about $12 billion in two rounds. The first round and then the second round in the Hinterland and riverain areas,” the Vice President continued.
As such, he reasoned, “You have to look at all of these measures in a combined way to see benefits flowing back to the people of this country. It’s not just Public Service salary. It’s not just that, and we still run a fiscal deficit.”
Following the announcement of an across the board eight percent increase by President Irfaan Ali on November 17, Trade Unions and members of civil society as well as the Opposition Parties called out the Government on what they dubbed a ‘measly’ increase.
The pay hike will be retroactive to January 1, 2022.
Notwithstanding this, it was pointed out that the across the board method means that President Ali who receives a salary of somewhere around $1.8 million monthly will receive an extra $144,000 on his wage. When this was multiplied by 12 to factor in the retroactive pay it was found that the President will get $1,728,000 more, taking home over $3.5 million this month.
Meanwhile, a minimum wage worker whose salary is $75,000 will merely collect an extra $6,000 more taking the salary to $81,000.
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