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Budget 2023 “deficient in poverty reduction strategy”- Vinceroy Jordan
Kaieteur News – Budget 2023 fails to outline a poverty reduction strategy although labeled the country’s largest budget with a 41.4 percent increase, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Vinceroy Jordan said on Wednesday during the third day of budget debates.
“Sir, some are worrying about how is it that a government can be so uncaring in its plans, policies, and programmes, while some worry about when they will get out of poverty in this much touted oil economy,” Jordan told Speaker of the House, Manzoor Nadir.
The MP said that a sizeable cross-section of Guyanese is concerned about their survival. Quoting from a Kaieteur News article, Jordan pointed to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) statistical report which shows that 43 percent of Guyanese cannot afford a healthy diet while five percent are undernourished.
Opposition Member of Parliament, Vinceroy Jordan
The report was released earlier this month and is titled “Regional Overview Of 2022: Towards Improving Affordability of Healthy Diets”.
“That report also states Mr. Speaker that 50 percent of the people living in our country live in poverty, they went on to specify that half of the country’s population is surviving on less than US$5.5cent or GY$1000 per day,” the MP said.
Jordan maintained that the budget as presented by Senior Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh failed to propose measures that will alleviate poverty.
“Mr. Speaker, while this budget is some 41.4 percent larger than that of 2022, it is very clear that it will not be able to address the previously mentioned situations in Guyana nor will it address the financial insufficiencies of the citizens. Mr. Speaker, this visionless government while proposing to spend $781.9 billion has failed to propose any measures that will indeed address the high inflation rate and general cost-of-living,” the MP said.
He added, “Sir this budget is deficient in a poverty reduction strategy, a crime prevention plan and a permanent job creation strategy.”
It was reported by this publication that as part of measures highlighted in budget 2023, Dr. Singh had announced a $10,000 increase in the income tax threshold, $3,000 increase in public assistance and another $10,000 hike for parents with children attending schools between the nursery and secondary levels.
At a recent press conference hosted by the Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, the Economic Adviser attached to the Office of the Opposition Leader, Elson Low had noted that despite the yearly increases in the budget, the cost-of-living relief sum remains minimal.
Low had said, “This $5 billion is less than half of a percent of the national budget which is $782 billion and during the biggest cost of living crisis for the past 40 years; the government has decided to give less than a percent of this budget towards the cost of living mitigation.”
He had asserted that, “Budget 2023 confirms that the Government is uncaring, and anti-poor. Budget 2023 confirms that the government has no national development plan …will not eliminate poverty, will not ensure that families can live comfortable and happy lives, and will not build world-class social services in health, education, public utilities, public safety, justice, and a clean environment. Budget 2023 confirms that the PPP is incapable of using our vast oil wealth to transform the lives of the Guyanese people.”
- Budget 2023, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Senior Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, United Nations, Vinceroy Jordan
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