After Months Of Decline, Government Revenues Going Back Up

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State Insurance Treasury Building

Government’s revenue collection performance in improving according to two revenue collection agencies.

Both the Customs Division and the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) are reporting strong increases in collections for the month with a combined total of nearly $46 million dollars.

Comptroller of Customs, Raju Boddu, told POINTE FM that his department collected $27.472,000.00 for the month, making it the best month for collections since the lockdown instituted at the end of March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Government revenues took a nose-dive in March, April and May. There was some return to upward collection in June and July but still not close to budgetary projections.

Superintendent of IRD, Ralph Warner said his department collected $18.5 million in July.

He said this increase was buttressed by telecommunications companies making payments.

According to Prime Minister Gaston Browne, the uptick in collections in July enabled the government to pay all public servants on time in addition to servicing a number of its other monthly obligations including payments to the Eastern Caribbean Stock Exchange.

 

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8 COMMENTS

  1. GOING UP OR DOWN WE TAX PAYERS CITIZEN OF THIS COUNTRY DONT SEE A DIFFERENCE SO IS BEST YALL JUST BEQUITE. ALL THE GOVERNMENT JUST DO IS CHAT MOURN AND CRY HOW THE COUNTRY BROKE DURING THIS PANDEMIC AND ALL THE REST TIME WHEN THERE WAS NO PANDEMIC ALL THEY COULD OF DONE WAS DRIVE TAXES IN OUR BRASS BOWL.

  2. GASTON BROWNE:
    WHEN ARE SOCIAL SECURITY RECIPIENTS GETTING PAID?IT IS AUGUST 3,2020 AND NOTHING.THOSE PEOPLE WORKED THEIR ARSES OFF FOR THE MONIES.THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO GET MONTHLY.IT IS THEIR MONIES PUT INTO THE SYSTEM FOR THEIR RETIREMENTS.SO PAY THE DARN PEOPLE ON TIME,MONTHLY.

    • @Conrad:Not even those living locally are being paid on time.Last month they were paid on the 14th July.They do not know.When they would be paid for this month of August.

      • But this article did say that the government was able to pay a number of its other monthly obligations. Social Security savings were established since about 1971 snd payments should not be tied up with this current shortfalls since they have collected from us and all workers for nearly 50 years. Did the government barrowed too much from this fund over the years instead of investing it? Also I have friends and relatives there who reported that their age pension were delayed so funds should have accumulated even if current receipts were lowered due to COVID-19. The PM should address local and overseas payments to poor retired folks soonest.

  4. What the government should have been doing for years or even decades is having an emergency tax on all tourist transactions and hotel accommodations. The government all this time should have been asking for a small tax on the tourism industry in Antigua and then setting that money aside in an emergency fund. The fund could have been used for hurricane disaster relief or a global virus pandemic. Let’s say the emergency fund had been big enough to keep the island running for two to three years. Then the island would not be beholden to tourism dollars, the way we are now.

  6. The government needs to go after people who dont pay social security etc and people who owe. If they dont pay sell their business and pay the money in social security. Also send them to jail
    .

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