{"id":12783,"date":"2018-02-23T12:59:09","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T16:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=12783"},"modified":"2018-02-23T16:21:14","modified_gmt":"2018-02-23T20:21:14","slug":"upp-tells-business-leaders-there-will-be-no-increase-in-taxes-if-elected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/upp-tells-business-leaders-there-will-be-no-increase-in-taxes-if-elected\/","title":{"rendered":"UPP tells business leaders there will be no increase in taxes if elected"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cWe, and I will say emphatically\u2026 we will not increase taxes,\u201d declared Dr. McChessney Emanuel, the United Progressive Party\u2019s (UPP) candidate for St. John\u2019s Rural North.<\/p>

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Speaking before a number of business professionals at the UPP\u2019s business and networking forum yesterday at Sandals Grande Resort, Emanuel and the UPP sought to address many of the concerns facing the business community.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur government will increase government spending or lower taxes or both to increase private sector investments, create jobs and expand the economy,\u201d Emanuel said.<\/p>

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The party\u2019s leader, Senator Harold Lovell, also addressed another looming issue among the private sector representatives – that of competing government interest in the Antigua and Barbuda economy.<\/p>

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\u201cGovernment agencies, government ministries and government must not be allowed to crowd out the private sector and create an environment of unfair competition!\u201d Lovell announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to enrich yourself, there is nothing wrong with that,\u201d he continued.<\/p>

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\u201cBut, go into the private sector and we will do everything to facilitate your enrichment, your success, your profitability.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf business is your thing, then go into business. But if the government is your thing then that\u2019s the people\u2019s thing and it\u2019s not about personal enrichment, it\u2019s about service to the people and come out of government if your aim is personal enrichment.\u201d<\/p>

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The party\u2019s leader also addressed another glaring issue of slow business start-up time on the island.<\/p>

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\u201cIt takes far too long to set up a business,\u201d said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe average given by the World Bank is 22 days.”<\/p>\n

Lovell outlined that the current system forces prospective business owners to make arduous trips to the Inland Revenue, APUA, Medical Benefits, Company\u2019s Registry, Social Security and the Education Departments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we will do to address this problem is to establish a Business Registration office to include desks with representatives from [all of the boards previously listed]. The aim will be to complete business registration\u00a0in one day<\/span>.\u201d<\/p>\n

This seeks to address one of the issues causing Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s continual fall on the \u2018Ease of Doing Business\u2019 report over the past few years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen last the United Progressive Party was in office, Antigua and Barbuda stood at number 63 [out of 185 countries] in the world\u2019s rankings,\u201d expressed UPP business consultant, Joan Underwood of the report.<\/p>\n