GOVERNMENT OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
Ministry of Finance
Inland Revenue Department
Woods Centre, Friars Hill Road
St. John’s, Antigua, W.I.
Telephone: 1(268)468-9475.
Email: [email protected]
Payment of ABST at the 17% Rate
Please note, an amendment was done to the Antigua and Barbuda Sales Tax Act. through the Revenue (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act #13 of 2023, indicating that from January 1 2024, the standard ABST Rate will increase from 15% to 17%.
This increase is applicable to all taxable goods and services covered by the Antigua and Barbuda Sales Tax Act, 2006.
Effective I” January 2024; ALL supply of holiday accommodations, taxable goods, services and classes of entertainment must be charged at the rate of 17%.
The department stands ready to assist you with any additional information that will be needed to facilitate this important activity.
Please be guided accordingly.
Ralph Warner
Commissioner of Inland Revenue
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Look if a 1 time me know blue go see me finger a next election. Ne just say them wicked and all kind a things but this government ya a kill quickly not slowly. 17% tax and salary nar go up?? Muuuurrrrder. Them need fu call election now and all now me can’t get me back pay. Heeeellllpppp.
Stop lying! Government salaries have been increased by 9% this year and another 5% previously. This is a grand total of 14%, while a single tax was increased by a measly 2%. You speak about back pay, so it indicates to me that you are a government worker, and you’re pushing the lie that your salary isn’t going up. Speak the truth and shame the devil!
@ Carter
I wonder in which century was government salaries increased by 9% and another 5% previously, please gimme an aspirin and/or phensic.
A single tax increase of 2% from a base of 15% equates to an increase of 13.33% which is more than your non-existent 9% or 5%.
Have your facts correct when you are representing the ‘spinners’, because you cannot fool sensible people who can read and understand, as opposed to the red kool-aid drinkers that just swallow everything Gaston says, who might very well be the author of this blog.
@Carter-P(Happy new year to you and yours) unfortunately they enjoy being blind and dumb. The strange thing is when doing this, those who buy into the lie, wonder why they are not progressing. An example was the route taken by many opposition supporters to not apply to national housing because they wanted to see the project fail. Hearing now MP Watt on tape, asking GB for a house, after the tour at Dredge Bay, did not move many of them. Some then moved late, applied, only to be told its too late. Instead of showing maturity they now spout the lie that only opposition people got houses
@tenman…. Thanks, ten. All the very best to you and family. May good health, prosperity, and happiness come to you and those whom you love. Continue to speak the truth and reveal the willful ignorance that seems to be the so commonplace in our country.
Spur of the moment talk. You thought that you’d be exempted because you are a supporter? If elections were called tomorrow, you would still vote for your party. Next time, vote wisely.
ABST gone up, Social Security a go up, Cost a living gone up but salaries remain the same? Something just na add up!!!! The poor will get poorer & the rich & their cronies get richer… Be blue, red, orange or green. All a dem a de same….. Dem na care about de little man
@ Bluddy Bloke
I beg to differ that all of them is the same. ABLP take the cake, DEM wicked like hell.
When during Covid-19 when countries ALL OVER THE WORLD GAVE THEIR PEOPLE INCENTIVES AND ALLOWANCES, ANTIGUA WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT DIDN’T DO IT!!!
GASTON DO NOT LIKE POOR/BLACK ANTIGUANS AS IF HE CUM FRAM SO WAY!!!
wicked set of people smh
I can hardly wait to shop at Epicurean in 2024. A few days ago I bought several of the listed non taxable goods on the ALP list of non-taxable items and was taxed on everything but a can of evaporate milk.
If you had that experience where you are being taxed for items that should not be taxed, the process is pretty simple: take your receipt to Inland Revenue Department and let them have a look at it. Once this is done, they will take it up with Epicurean and a refund MUST be given to you.
However, I suspect that you are very much lying because you CANNOT be the only one who is being taxed for non-taxable items when you purchase from Epicurean, and I shop at Epicurean and have NEVER had this experience. You need to STOP using lies to try to make a point. Speak the truth and shame the devil.
@ Carter, aka Gaston aka minion aka king liar
I wonder in which century was government salaries increased by 9% and another 5% previously, please gimme an aspirin and/or phensic.
A single tax increase of 2% from a base of 15% equates to an increase of 13.33% which is more than your non-existent 9% or 5%.
Have your facts correct when you are representing the ‘spinners’, because you cannot fool sensible people who can read and understand, as opposed to the red kool-aid drinkers that just swallow everything Gaston says, who might very well be the author of this blog.
@maths failee?…. As usual, you and the people of your ilk like to pull numbers out of your asses. But continue….
It’s either you live under a rock or in a shithouse because public servants salaries were increased by 5% in 2022 and 9% will be going on from this month. But, as usual, you of the shithouse gang will try to spin things differently. Carry on.
At the end of the day I doubt UPP will change the tax even if they become elected. Careful what you wish for,
If ABST is charged when the item is purchased how on earth is this wicked government saying you still have to pay more in ABST if your vacation was pre booked AND PAID in 2023 for 2024. This makes no sense.
We all need to come together and get our country back the way it should be not what they think should happen without taking it to the people first. We do need a raise in our pay teacher hotel etc
We had a chance to stand up against this Neanderthal, but alas! The dunce mismanaged our money, refuses to collect taxes from the rich so as not to upset the apple cart, so here we are.
Don’t forget, the 17% ABST is just the tip of the iceberg. SS goes up, if you’re a smoker( weed) and a drinker, beware.
We are just too docile. Those driving around in their jeeps and SUV’s couldn’t care less; those witnessing skulduggery and corruption shut their mouths to keep their jobs; just like taking the jab to keep their jobs. What a fine mess we’re in, but we like it so, evidently.
You are such a liar about refusing to collect taxes from the rich. Was it not the Gaston Browne administration that forced Sandals and other hotels to pay the ABST that the UPP and Harold Lovell exempted them from paying?
Seems to me that YOU are more of a Neanderthal that you really know. The weird thing about dunces, like you, is that intelligence always appears to be stupidity. It’s called the Dunning–Kruger effect. Perhaps you need to become aware of your own shortcomings by reading up on it.
@ Carter
Once again you show how much you DO NOT READ AND UNDERSTAND FOR YOURSELF, but swallow everything Gaston push down you RED throat.
It was Lester Bird who had initially given the tax waivers to Sandals of various taxes and ONCE THE ABST was introduced-after a region wide consultation by Caricom countries and to make it equitable to them the waiver was continued with ABST.
But Gaston keep fooling Antigua people about ABST being exempted by Sandals when it was the ALP under Lester Bird had done it.
STOP U DAM LIE AND READ AND COMPREHEND FOR YOURSELF AND STOP MAKING ABLP MAKING AN ASS OF ALL OF YOU INCLUDING, TENMAN, SIDELINE, GILES, PETE AND THE REST MINIONS.
@Maths Failee – Seems you forget Cort did this just before the 2009 elections. ABST was in replace by 2006. It was Cort who signed off (since you forgot UPP was in office) The AHTA not GB alone has long made clear that Sandals being allowed not to pay over a tax, that all other hotels had to pay over, was unfair. Not only was it unfair, it was also illegal
@ tenman
Again……go back and check the records because obviously you DID NOT understand what I said. The arrangement was made UNDER LESTER BIRD, but at that time there was no ABST but waivers for a number of taxes. The ABST was then introduced and an equitable arrangement was made for the original waivers granted by ABLP/LESTER BIRD.
You guys are so deceitful and dishonest as usual, a classical example being the ‘Shuggy deception matter with Gerry Watt , you the minions and Gaston. GOSH!
Sadly @ Watching, compared to the diligent, determined and demonstrative Barbudan’s, we the indigenous Antiguans cannot compare – Barbudan’s have backbone.
WE QUESTION EVERYTHING, BUT ACT ON NOTHING!!!
To be fair though, we almost ousted this lame and out of touch ABLP at the last General Election.
No matter what u do for black people they will never be happy i say that the*PM* is doing a dam good job if some of us would be running the country we would have mess it up even when God sent his only son to dies on the cross for us we still blaspheme the son of man moses parted the red sea to free the Israelites an there still blaspheme him as well too so no matter what you do you just can’t please anyone God didn’t make the world in one day so just leave your Gaston Browne alone let us come together an make it right some of us can’t even raise our own kids properly but we want to talk about the prime minister
@ Loren Bowers
aka Gaston Brown
” … the *PM* [huh???] is doing a dam good job … “and god sent his only son to die on the cross …”
A glaring example from @ Loren Bowers who is out of touch and out of sorts, who cannot or will not apportion any blame to Gaston Browne for all that’s going wrong with Antigua & Barbuda at present.
What’s worse than a ABLP acolyte or a Gastonite?
YES, THAT’S RIGHT, A RELIGIOUS ZEALOT
Loren must belong to the same cult as @ From The Sideline …
I am wondering if Gaston Browne can name any country inflicted with excessive taxation that has been a success. To quote from an article online “In recent times, the people of Kenya have been grappling with a harsh economic reality – over-taxation. While taxation is essential for funding government activities and public services, excessive taxation can bleed a nation dry, resulting in a cascade of detrimental effects on its economy and citizens. In this article, we will explore the grim consequences of over-taxation in Kenya, shedding light on how it has reduced consumer demand, stifled entrepreneurship, fueled inflation, encouraged tax evasion, discouraged foreign investment, and even fanned the flames of political instability.”
No visible efforts appear to have been made to stop the excessive stealing/corruption that is so obvious in government. Over population and crime are out of control and Antigua’s infrastructure cannot and should not have to deal with it. Antigua needs to close its’ borders and find some leadership that is actually interested in the wellbeing of this country and its’ people! Huge mansions, a multitude of cars, land acquirement and excessive zeros in bank accounts with full salaries after ten years of achieving close to nothing other than more rip-off debt to China for crappy projects is killing Antigua and Barbuda. WAKE UP ANTIGUANS AND DEMAND BETTER.
@Jeb isn’t the measure of whether taxation is too high, tax to gdp? Antigua has the lowest tax to gdp in the region. Barbados, Saint Kitts & Nevis, which the opposition tend to laud when it suits them, not only have a higher tax to gdp than A&B, their VAT rates before today was higher then us. This change now makes us have the same 17 percent as SKN but still lower than Barbados (17.5). We need some 32 million to provide for public servants increase. It will also aid in taking care of arrears to service providers. This tax increase is projected to raise about 40 million.
@Tenman, I guess you are not fed up yet but I am. The civil service sector needs to be reduced by maybe half…” too many cooks spoil the broth” and right now the overloaded civil service is about as inefficient as it can possibly be. I try to be fair to both parties and I honestly found that after the civil service was successfully reduced along with the wage bill several years ago, they were far more efficient.
The stealing and the freebees are disgusting. Antigua is now overcrowded with minimally educated immigrants who contribute absolutely nothing. The crime has come to a point now where a senior cannot walk down a road with her groceries without being hit on her head and robbed. A person is dragged out of their car at a traffic light and robbed of his car. The minister for security is so rotund that he does not appear to be able to handle the job far less anything else. The police appear to be doing absolutely nothing of any consequence to curb the out-of-control crime. IMO this island desperately needs competent and qualified leadership who is not consumed with whether or not a world famous and revered national hero is grateful or not!
Whatever the GDP happens to be, excessive and inefficient taxation will kill this small island very quickly.
Fact: Civil Servants will get their increase in pay- Your raise will still be spent back to the government.
Fact: Social Security payments increase. Age of retirement is extended. Persons thinking that they can stay home to take care of their loved ones or just enjoy retirement, will probably die before reaping the benefits of their hard work.
Fact: Cost of living have increased drastically, persons cannot afford a decent meal much less eat healthy. Further crippling Medical Benefits, pocket, with all the generic meds that they have to push out , to persons suffering from non communicable diseases.You’ll die before seeing anything from Social Security as a result,( OH yeah the funeral grant)
Fact: Usage of weed in this country, have increased as a form of escape from the madness. Mental illness in this country is on the rise.
Fact: The people have a lot to say about how unfair most things are ,but do nothing.
Fact: Antiguan’s overseas will come to Antigua to vote, all expenses paid, and go back to their lives without experiencing the hardships endured by the persons living here.
Fact: Hotel/ Guesthouse/ Airbnb owners is expected to pay out of pocket ,the difference of the taxes, which was implemented today, for their guests who booked prior.
Fact : I will continue to say the Lords Prayer
Jeb isn’t the measure of taxation, tax to gdp? Antigua has the lowest tax to gdp in the region. Barbados, Saint Kitts & Nevis, which the opposition tend to laud when it suits them, not only have a higher tax to gdp than A&B, their VAT rates before today was higher then us. This change now makes us have the same 17 percent as SKN but still lower than Barbados (17.5). We need some 32 million to provide for public servants increase. This tax increase is projected to raise about 40 million.
@Fire you clearly have a math problem. How could increasing abst by 2 percent, negate the 9 percent increase to public servants? Your bad logic ignores the fact that for most public servants and persons making 4K a month and less, the majority of their purchases tend to be for zero rated items. In order to avoid ignorance let me remind you that zero rated items (non commercial rents, electricity, water, basic food items, medical supplies..) are exempt from vat
@ tenman
Because brilliant tenman a 2% increase on 15% equates to a 13.33% which according to arithmetic I learnt in primary school is more than 9%.
Please try and ‘spin’ with some accuracy.
The only consolation is that all the minions like you will have to pay the ABST like all the stone broke and hungry and sick Antiguans.
@maths failee, when public servant have to pay ABSt on non zero rated items, they will be paying 2 percent more on items they purchase not 13.3%. The increase in price would essentially be 2 percent while their renumeration would have increased by 9 percent. Your willingness to stretch yourself out of sorts, to sell falsehood shows you have no good intention for this nation
@ tenman
you obviously are a novice when it comes to figures!!!!
It does not make sense to convince ‘spinners’ like you because whatever you all are told to do as Kublai say, including eating _H_T you would gladly swallow. Such a pity.
On “fyah” 🔥🔥🔥 @ Fire, especially on passport holding Antiguans coming over to vote ❎ in General our Elections.
This onerous loophole needs to be closed immediately, to stop the ABLP becoming a one party state.
Tax increase: A lovely gift from the ALP to the people of A&B on New Years day.
ALP wins the prize for Best Gift in 2024.
🎇🎇🎊🎊🎉🎉🎆🎆
@Carter and tenman, calling people liars and trying to justify the tax hike by the dunce DAWG! Explain to us you two geniuses, how a country with such a fast growing economy, better than all except Guyana, has to raise taxes? How come a country, with ‘growth'(must be Gaston Browne’s delusional madness) can offer its people nothing in line with St. Kitts? Ah Carter! Is Sandals the ONLY one accounting for the 50% outstanding ABST? What about the concessions you gave to PLH? Even the real finance minister, Weston, while he was there ,called your blatant give aways ludicrous.
Anyone paying attention must wonder seriously about someone who blames UPP and hurls abuses at other opinions.
Ten years and 11 billion dollars later, plus nearly 100 borrowings, and the financial “genius ” comes up with a tax hike to fund a raise.
Antiguans and Barbudans, capable of reading and reasoning, having witnessed all the lies from the DAWG, know the man is not trustworthy and has mismanaged the country’s finances.
@Carter, you can spout all your lies and verbal abuses, we know your MO, and will continue to speak on this forum until Gaston Browne is ousted from office.
@Watching….. You likkle boy, Pearman Jeffrey, speak the truth and shame the devil! You too lie fu be wan big arse man.
@ Watching….. “Carter, you can spout all your lies and verbal abuses, we know your MO, and will continue to speak on this forum until Gaston Browne is ousted from office.”
And you think that we don’t know your MO? We will continue to bring the facts and truth until people like you become irrelevant.
You speak about verbal abuses…. What have you done every time you come on this forum, especially when referring to the Prime Minister? The saying is true, “Do so nah lub so!”
@ Carter
I wonder what facts and truth? anyone associated with the ABLP is just so corrupt and dishonest. I could never believe a word from Gaston Brown, for he promised ”Less taxes, More jobs and More investments”, the question is where are they? With all the hunger and starvation in Antigua with all the youth violence and brazen high days crimes, it is obvious things hard like hell in Antigua.
We are actually living in a land of milk and honey. Never under no other administration has there been so much suffering and poverty in Antigua. The place stink, dutty, more potholes than roads, tourists being damaged having to traverse the puddles on the roads, especially the ones on the way to Fort from Bay street. The inability of the government to pay its suppliers. I cannot go on, there is just a litany of issues facing this country but yet still you minions must be blind to the terrible state of affairs.
Antigua has gone to the dogs…..and we are an Economic Powerhouse. What a joke.
@Watching, take the time to properly examine SKN’s revenues. Almost half of it comes via CIP (about 45 percent). The figures in the IMF’s last report show them getting some 500 million via CIP. You may not know this but for Antigua its (CIP) no more than 100 million. When you then realize that SKN has almost half the population of A&B you can then understand why their tax revenue would be more impactful However, note again before today they charged a higher VAT rate then us at 17 percent. Even if you removed CIP from the equation their tax to GDP is a bit higher than A&B (about 2 percent) Their report however points out they cannot keep depending on CIP and other avenues will need to be pursued.
I would think my answer before would explain why even with a growing economy, government revenues are not where they need to be. If not clear already look at some of the results for companies in the US where they show an increase in revenue. However though revenues are increasing, the company is reporting a net loss. AMAZON was one such company. Started in 1994 it was not until 2003 they first saw a profit. However the company grew revenue wise, year after year. You will also see this with new tech companies. They tend to be considered growth companies and persons would invest for the future. It will take some time for them to grow themselves into a net profit, due to the need to pay off for prior costs. Similarly it will take time for A&B to grow itself into a surplus situation. The alterative, which calls for huge cuts (including sending home public servants since 70 percent of government revenues goes to salaries and pensions) none of you would really like since in the end it would mean increase in crime and most likely low or no growth.
Oh @Carter(aka Gaston Browne,Iman or whatever) you have no class. Always resorting to profanities and verbal insults instead of just speaking your piece.
Again, Gaston Browne has done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for Antigua and Barbuda. NOTHING. A broke windbag according to Assot Michael, who had NOTHING prior to 2014 now boasting of being worth 30 million?
Spin and blame all you want @Carter, we know the man who controls our finances knows nothing about economics. Always quoting figures that never add up.
The infamous ECLAC that the DAWG so like to quote in his regurgitated budget speeches, projected St. Kitts and Nevis to grow by 3.5% and Antigua and Barbuda by 8.2%. Something does not compute here. An economy projected to grow 3.5% offers its citizens $1,000 savings to each youth 18 and under, half salary for civil servants, $500 for non, and best of all, minimum wage increase to $10.50 effective today to mention a few. The 8.2% economic poor house offers tax hike to fund raises, ham and turkey for Christmas and wants to brag about $9.00 minimum wage.What a joke! Antiguans and Barbudans this government that claims it was duped by shady characters is trying to duped US.
Economic power house. We must fire this notorious contractor. He had seven years and we have nothing to show for it.
Let’s here you spin this one @Carter, minus the insipid insults and reprehensible profanities.
@Watching…. You got a dose of your own medicine, huh? Your assertions in the in post are quite easy to refute as there is evidence to show your musings are just that… Musings. I will not waste any more time with you since you are one of those people who will never give credit to Gaston Browne. Even if he brings water from the sun you will say it didn’t come from Earth so it’s not real water. You demonstrated that when you said, “Gaston Browne has done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for Antigua and Barbuda. NOTHING.” With such statements, there is clearly no reason to give humour you in your delusional tirades.
@ Carter its obvious that you and Loren Bowers (another blog writer below) is Gaston Brown. It has to be with the crap you people talking.
No matter what u do for black people they will never be happy i say that the*PM* is doing a dam good job if some of us would be running the country we would have mess it up even when God sent his only son to dies on the cross for us we still blaspheme the son of man moses parted the red sea to free the Israelites an there still blaspheme him as well too so no matter what you do you just can’t please anyone God didn’t make the world in one day so just leave your Gaston Browne alone let us come together an make it right some of us can’t even raise our own kids properly but we want to talk about the prime minister
“… moses parted the red sea to free the Israelites an there still blaspheme him as well …”
So @ Loren, you see Prime Minister Browne as a Moses type of Biblical figure?
@ From The Sideline, please accept my sincere apologies for giving you the title of Religious fa-nut-ic, this now goes to … [drum roll everybody 🥁] Loren Bowen!
TAKE A BOW, YOU DESERVE IT …
… you really do get some BIG belly laughs 😂 on these ANR threads. This is why I love it!
Gassssston may not be able to part the sea like Moses @ Loren Bowen, but he can sure as hell part us from our money 💷
🎤🎶 “Wheeeeeel again mi ah tell you…:
Oh, @tenny, tenny! Spin all you want about GDP and whatever about St.Kitts and Nevis. Whether 45% of their annual revenues come from CIP or not is not the point. The fact is they MANAGE their economy (something your massa DAWG could learn) instead of squandering the taxpayers money as is typical of the ALP from antiquity.
Quote all the numbers you want, it will not distract patriots from condemning this failed government.
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