It is the economy, stupid!

Feb 06, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor,

I write with reference to Stabroek News’ editorial of 2/3/2024, under the title “It’s not the economy stupid.”

One of the saddest things in Guyana is that the free press does not take the opportunity to make use of the most fundamental right in a free society, that is, to provide balanced and informed commentary. The Stabroek News editorial in question is a stark reminder than even that which is good for the people gets massively distorted simply to serve the pleasure of the Opposition APNU-AFC. In this case the editorial complains that lower taxes are harmful because it gives too much independence to the government. For the editorial taxes are heading in the wrong (lower) direction.

I do not want you to take my word for it, so allow me the extended quotation below.

“At the heart of this direction of travel is the increasing financial autonomy of the government. Revenues from personal taxes in 2023 make up less than 8% of this year’s total budget. They do not need our money anymore so they don’t need to listen to us.” In any other country in the world, a major newspaper would not only applaud lower taxes but would make it a headline story. Not here.

Instead, we get the following – “That is why not one minister cares to point out that the self-employed paid 10% less taxes in 2023 than in 2020 despite that year being peak Covid and the subsequent years experiencing a booming economy.” This should be deemed a signature accomplishment, and if SN were a fair and balanced newspaper it would have acknowledged such.

But no. What we get instead is this “it is this autonomy which is loosening the democratic pillars of accountability and transparency while consultations on our collective future become unnecessary without the need for a mandate.” I don’t think I have ever read such unadulterated balderdash anywhere before. The truth is that it took democracy to lower taxes, in fact to reverse the 200 taxes and fees that were undemocratically imposed by the last APNU-AFC administration. Stabroek News do not get it. It IS the economy, stupid.

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