BUDGET 2024 WILL ENSURE TREMENDOUS DEVELOPMENT NATIONWIDE

Jan 20, 2024 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Editor, please permit me the opportunity to congratulate Hon. Senior Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Kumar Singh for his hard work and professional delivery of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government’s proposed massive $ 1.146 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2024. This budget presented under the appropriate theme ‘Staying the Course, building Prosperity for All,’ establishes the basis for advancing Guyana’s development charter while ensuring a focus on improving the standard of living and opportunities potential for all Guyanese.

Our nation is aware of the process of approvals following the debates in the National Assembly that will further provide many details of the advantages to be attained through the roll-out of the planned investments. Notwithstanding, one must note that this budget is targeted for achievement with zero new taxes, is inclusive of many people-centered initiatives, and targets improving securities for food, health, and the preparedness of our people with comparative global good practices in one of the swiftest incremental rates of achievement. No doubt, the tremendous development in our economy under the PPP/C Government and leadership have enabled our technical persons to increase the budget by a whopping 46 percent larger than last year’s 741.9 billion which is indeed a manifestation of the party’s resilience and successes.

While time and space do not permit detailed examination, a few snippets provide cursory and meaningful testimony.  Our people will be the beneficiaries of this budget! Coupled with the no increase in taxes, the income-tax threshold is increased from $85.000 to $100.000 as a source of direct money going to all our people, particularly our poorer people. The consideration for increased assistance and relief to our students is timely and will be highly appreciated.

Further, the improvement to a $45.000 cash grant along with the uniform allowances and the textbook allocation will now be bolstered by several other assistances such as the preparation of hot meals along with fruits and juice as snacks. These will remove major distractions for parents who will be able to focus on other productive engagements, and students individually and collectively with the latter also benefiting because of the updating of relief for digital accessories and learning aids to contribute to and enable our students to excel in school.

The construction of new schools along with several modernization interventions including ‘smart’ classrooms, is providing our students with a better environment to study. With the introduction of the conditional removal of University Fees, our students will now have much result-oriented support at the tertiary level. Further, teachers will now earn better salaries, and this is a genuine incentive for our country to further prepare young people of substance.

In this budget, the Education sector has been allocated $135.2 billion inclusive of a further, $28.7 billion to be expended on the upgrade of school infrastructure. The Government will also spend $16 billion to build new secondary schools while a further, 6 billion will be spent on building Primary and Nursery schools. This investment in education is confirmation of the PPP/C belief and a purposeful commitment to investing in our children, our nation’s country greatest assets. Here in Guyana, Education is not a privilege but a MUST for our people.

In the past, affordable healthcare considerations have contributed to the migration of many citizens. Our government in this budget moves to bridge the gap by advancing tremendous investment in this key sector as a medium of guarantee that our people will have the necessary treatment access, encourage, and live longer and healthier lifestyles. The modernization of our health Centers across the country and the provision of ‘health vouchers’ for our students and pensioners, is a manifestation of how caring and responsible the PPP/C Government is, in assuring a longer and better life for our people.

The multi-dimensional development platform advance that is provided for in this budget is unbelievable, given the created APNU/AFC debacle of the economy this government had to deal with when they assumed office in August of 2020. Our farmers, the business sector, and our people now have their greatest support, assurance, and belief in the attainment of a better life.

Further, our people’s expectations are being realized, they are now much more excited and positively optimistic. Other Budgets will build on this foundation which all Guyanese should support. As for the Opposition, some of them are now Perpetual Thumb Twiddlers.’ As My grandmother was very quick to say, ‘The Noise in the Market does not count, it is the sales that count.’

Sincerely,

Neil Kumar

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• appropriate, Budget 2024, Dr. Ashni Kumar Singh, People’s Progressive Party Civic, Senior Finance Minister

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