Antigua and Barbuda’s government is in talks with frustrated restaurant owners over a sudden two percent sales tax increase.
The abrupt announcement, made on December 22, gave restaurants only three business days to adjust their systems for the January 1 deadline.
Restaurant owners cite challenges in updating pricing strategies, leading to reduced profits and added administrative burdens.
Concerns arise as businesses, still recovering from the pandemic, may absorb the extra tax initially. Cabinet spokesman Melford Nicholas suggests the government is open to assisting affected parties.
Some, like Alex Grimley, express relief, noting diligent efforts by officials to facilitate businesses.
Grimley appreciates the government’s responsiveness to local concerns, although businesses face significant costs in complying with new tax regulations.
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What government gives 3 days notice of the implementation of an increased tax? Idiot governments, that’s who. Fools!
Higher taxation is a bitter pill to digest for all taxpayers; however, this ongoing financial medication would be easier to swallow if the ABLP government would be a lot more transparent in what all of our taxes were used for, and just as importantly, the long term benefits for the country as a whole.
Remember, the Prime Minister is only perceived as GREAT if Antiguans keep Kowtowing to him, and not asking those pertinent questions that effect us all at present.
Those of us (in business) that lost a lot of money throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, are at a loss as to why there’s an increase in taxation, and no financial incentives to recover our losses.
Does this government want us to sell up and leave for greener pastures?
SEEMS SO …
The Prime Minister’s next 4 years of tenure is CRUCIALLY CRUCIAL …
Them nah care bout nobody. Antigua a suffer. Poor people that work hard a suffer. Oh gracious man. When God ready Fi Aru Aru must get torture before Aru dead and member Aru ha young pickney coming up. What the f**k???? Raise Government workers money. You raising taxes like you going up a fu*king ladder. Raise the salary too. I tired a this fu*king part boss.
Has anything this inept, incompetent Gaston Browne led ALP government ever gotten anything right? Just a cabinet of dunce, greedy, corrupt people, burdening poor people with their constant screw ups.
I visited a business last week and the cashier was doing some manual calculations to figure out the bill. Math is my thing so it was easy to verify, but what of those who aren’t good with numbers?
When is enough going to be enough? With this idiot as finance minister, we will quickly become the dregs of the Caribbean.
But, I blame those who stupidly voted this band of hoodlums back into power amidst pellucid evidence that this Hitler-lookoing wannabe was a failure and does not give a damn about Antiguans and Barbudans.
I really do not understand what they mean by “three days notice”. Six months ago, we knew of the Government’s intention, so how can restaurateurs say they had ONLY three day’s notice?
That is not the way to look sympathy. Just ask for more time.
Nothing surprising here 😐..the “Clown Boss” will be around for another 4 years..what a joke!!!
@ FrankS
Your comment is an example of the stupidity which is pervasive and enables these imcompetent GOAB to get away with their incompetence.
Most restaurant has a computer software that ties in procurements and sales. Most POS systems are adjusted by the software supplier.
The GOAB informs the public through Cabinet Notes and Pointe media. Where and when did thr GOAB make such signals?
it’s like sayingcrime is running rampant because people don’t pray to the Lord..
In your warped reasoning business owners should have adjusted their sytems along the time of the six months of Governemt signals (which only you knew about) or put their software vendors on notice so when they know its going into effect BAM!! BAM!! tha changes are made.
With this level of ignorance and stupidity, with the timerity to chime in on the issue; its no wonder Gaston Browne and his happy Band of Creative Enrichment Geriactrics keep on getting re-elected.
At 42 years of age (via political independence from Britain), I still grapple with the realization that this nation is seemingly under-age, despite her years.
With the amount of ‘bright people’ in the country, more people graduating from tertiary levels (at home and abroad), I shudder every time I read a news article, and bother to read the comments (if applicable).
When are Antiguans and Barbudans going to stop thinking/speaking/seeing every issues through the political filters of red and blue?
Are we ever going to mature into sensible thinking people, who are capable of independent thought; agreeing or disagreeing with issues/matters on the merits of the particular issue/matter, even if it means going contrary to the position of our political persuasion?
When will we RELEGATE POLITICS to it’s RIGHTFUL PLACE as a MERE TOOL that we take out of its box to use for just A FEW MONTHS, ONCE EVERY 5 YEARS, for election purposes ONLY? Then when elections are concluded, we clean it up and replace it in the box and put it away for the next 4.75 years.
I wonder, can we aspire to this?
I want to believe that we would benefit far more from this approach, rather than the current state of continuous acrimony, year in year out! (For one, we wouldn’t be so easily manipulated by politicians.)
Really and truly, it is an unhealthy environment for everyone!!
CONSIDER THIS:
First, let us remove ALL FILTERS (I know it might be hard in this age of IG, TikTok and what not), including our rose or blue tinted glasses.
As sensible thinking people, while I can appreciate that some additional time might be required for ‘Mom and Pop’ shops, sorry, I’ll use the proper term – small and micro businesses, to fully implement the requisite changes pursuant to increase in the ABST, do we really, seriously, want to GIVE A PASS to these larger businesses which tend to have personnel (IT &/or ACCOUNTING) on call, if not on staff, that can readily make the necessary changes to their systems? These supermarkets, department stores, car dealers, restaurants, hotels, are MAJOR BUSINESSES.
The ABST is NOT a NEW TAX, it is nearer to 20 years old than it is to 10; many of these businesses were pre-ABST introduction, and if not they opened their doors with systems ready to process the mandatory tax!
Why then, are they imploring patrons to be patient and begging for ‘time’, ALL NOW? This is a deliberate ploy in my opinion!
It was widely rumoured and speculated upon that an increase to the ABST was very likely. And, prior to the official presentation of the Budget on 15th December, ABS ran a specially broadcasted program on ALL platforms about ‘unpacking the numbers’ – taxes and revenues (see link below), which ought to have given clear indication of the intent, if it was not directly stated, that this increase is definitely coming. Then if that weren’t enough of a clue that said increase was imminent, the 2024 Budget was formally presented (most auspiciously BEFORE the commencement of the new year, about 2 weeks prior to year’s end), and practically rammed through the lower and upper houses, signalling that the Ministry of Finance needed to get the ball rolling early o’clock January morning! But most importantly, THE INCREASE AND THE EFFECTIVE DATE WERE CONFIRMED during the Budget presentation.
https://www.facebook.com/absantigua/videos/3699837776966280/?mibextid=4p3i6U
IT SEEMS TO ME, LIKE THESE BUSINESSES ARE TRYING TO MANIPULATE THE SYSTEM, AND USING THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PRICE-GOUGE.
From Dec 15th to Dec 31st is 16 days, definitely more than 3 days (if they didn’t want to ‘act upon rumors) to start making arrangements for the imminent increase!
How is it that they can manage to get prices soaring high, but can’t adjust the ABST RATE FROM 15% (0.15) TO 17% (0.17))?
Howbeit they jack-up prices for the holiday season, or prior to reduction of the ABST! 🤔
Don’t their systems ALREADY allow for a rate? How hard is it to just change the 5 to 7, (they don’t even need to touch the 1)??
Look at a simple example: How in the name of all that is good and sensible, can the price of a 2-KG pack of sugar increase from BELOW EC$9.00, to ABOVE EC$13.00, between the Budget presentation and Christmas? Please keep in mind that there is NO ABST ON SUGAR. And even if there was, 2% of $9 is $0.18, that is assuming that the $9 already incudes 15%… Even if you were to add the ENTIRE 17% tax to $9, the tax amount works out to $1.53, and the price would then be somewhere around $10.53… As it is, the price of that particular item has increased almost 50% 👀 🤯.
Instead of placing WHOLESALE BLAME on ABST, and by extension the government, for the increases in the supermarkets, Et Al, PLACE THE BLASTED BLAME WHERE IT RIGHTLY BELONGS – ON THE GREEDY BUSINESSES!!
What we ought to do is call on the regulatory agency/department (Prices and Consumer Affairs, Inland Revenue, or WHOEVER), to speedily clamp down on those businesses that seem hell-bent on extorting the consumers!!
PM BROWN THIS IS YOUR MINISTRY: DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
People, get your heads out of your backsides and recognize that taxes are a necessary part of running a country! There is no getting away from it.
Do you think we can keep borrowing money to run this country?
Do you expect developed countries to extend grant monies (proceeds of taxes levied upon their own citizens) to us if we don’t implement taxes on our own citizens?
And don’t forget that IMF (or World Bank) money is not FREE MONEY… They are LENDERS and if the country has poor credit rating (just like regular banks), then interest rates are less favorable and terms are more stringent… TRANSLATION: DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT HARD RIGHT NOW? TRY KEEP FROM IMF!
Tap mek political parties fool areyou! OMG
Remember when one former political hopeful stood on a political platform and declared that this country did not need any more taxes? Because there were enough taxes on the books to generate enough revenue? What was needed, he posited, was an improved collection machinery.
Then the political party took the reigns of government, and wap, wap in we tail: ABST and PIT.
Now the re-breed of politicians kicking up over their same tax increasing by 2% (0.02).
BY ALL MEANS, LET US HOLD GASTON BROWN AND HIS ACOLYTES FEET TO THE FIRE!!
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR OUR TAX DOLLARS!!
DEMAND PROPER INFRASTRUCTURE – ROADS, STREET LIGHTS, WATER IN THE PIPES, RELIABLE ELECTRICITY, INTERNET, PHONE SERVICES, ETC!!
RELIABLE BANKING SYSTEMS AND SERVICES!!
STRIKE, PICKET, PROTEST, BOYCOTT, DO WHATEVER WE NEED TO, IN ORDER TO HELP THIS COUNTRY TO MATURE!!
But stop regurgitating nonsensical political rhetoric and hypocrisy!
Stop tearing down our country name and bigging up others. Ever hear we big island neighbours that flocking to our small island, crying dung dem yaard north or south?
Yes, do look at other countries/islands in admiration, and aspire to adopt their best practices. But be mindful, because many of these countries/islands DO NOT ADVERTISE THEIR FLAWS AND FAILINGS THE WAY WE LIKE TO DO. They know how to keep their business inside, and not “air their dirty laundry in public”. So we only get to see the babies after they’re washed and powdered with ribbons and suits, not when they painted with poop from head to toe, or rolling in the mud like Master Willie!
Time to “stop fighting one another; let us build together”.
It’s time we come of age!
Onwards and upwards Antigua and Barbuda! 🇦🇬🇦🇬
Forward on! Forward on!
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