In every sector, there has been a major move upwards

Jan 26, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor,

Budget 2024 has been presented by Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, and in his usual style, he was very erudite and detailed in his presentation. The debate is now on in the house, as to the merits and demerits of the allocations made to the various sectors of our economy. The Government for its own part has put forward a comprehensive package for a giant takeoff, we now await the Opposition’s response to this.

Now, as expected, the Opposition hasn’t been helpful in that they are in a mode of negatives shouting down every facet of the minister’s budget, they are making statements such as, “this project is not good for the country,” or as the opportunistic chameleons they are “it was a project that they had made plans for in their manifesto”. Nice sounding words I would admit, but it all adds up to empty rhetoric, because in their 5 years 5 months in power, they never completed a single project, including those they haphazardly started, all did suffer a similar fate. Even more revealing, was the fact that the unfinished ones had to be painfully renegotiated by the PPP/C Government at a great cost to taxpayers. This is their record; this is their gifted legacy to the Guyanese people.

They are now trying to pull wool over our eyes by making promises to this nation saying if they get back into power, they will complete those projects while getting others done. It is a dismal bellyaching rehash of their promised “Good Life” or what I would call grandiose delusions.

But let’s make for an argument and compare the PNC led Coalition’s three years (that is three uninterrupted years before the “No-confidence Vote”) against the same of the PPP/C in office. The record shows after two (2) months in office, the PNC Led Coalition raised their salaries upwards of 50%, having done nothing for the people of this country, they enriched themselves after only two paltry months at the helm. After that self-enrichment, there was an ushering in of an era of incompetence and gross mismanagement of public funds. Subsequent budgets saw an increase in taxes, two hundred (200) to be exact, and the taking away of other cost of living benefits. The removal of the water and electricity subsidies to our elderly, the removal of the yearend bonus for those in the disciplined services and to top it off the removal of the “Because We Care” cash grant to our children. Not forgetting those underhand deals that bankrupted us. Where is the $18M Exxon Mobil ‘Signing Bonus’?

They would want us to forget these things, but we would not! We will remember those atrocities meted out to the Guyanese people and vow not to return to that dubious place.

So, when the PPP/C returned to power, it was a balancing game how to get the economy back up and running. We saw the removal of those crippling taxes and massive infrastructural development; roads, four lane highways, bridges, hospitals, the building of new schools and the installation of potable water. In housing and telecommunication and last, but by no means least, an improvement in person’s take home pay.

In three years, salaries have increased while at the same time, the moving up of the income tax threshold, which means persons in the lower income tax level can have more in their take home earnings. In every sector, there has been a major move upwards, all towards the good of this nation. Someone then asks the question, then what is the government doing with the rising cost of living? The answer, there has already been a concerted effort in that direction such as the change in the tax threshold, persons in the lower level of income can now breathe a sigh of relief that they are not burdened with tax. We have come this far and must keep pressing upwards and onwards. After three years, we’ve achieved a lot and must keep on an upward trend. We have a government that cares and it is our bounding duty to work with them for the betterment of a place called Guyana.

Respectfully submitted,

Neil Adams

Budget 2024, Finance Minister, Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, Neil Adams, sector

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