REAL NEWS: Beneficiaries of the Board of Guardians are lamenting the fact that they have not received their stipend for four months now.
Several of them, elderly and impoverished, tell REAL News that January was the last time they received a cheque from the agency, and, at that time, four months were being covered.
However,, they say, they were contacted last week and invited to the office, where they were issued with four food vouchers, each valued at $50.
The senior citizens claim they were told to “hold that until Government get some money and can start to pay again.”
While they are not ungrateful for the vouchers, they point out that they have needs other than food – in particular, medication that is not provided by the Medical Benefits Scheme. Hence, their need for cash is real and urgent, they say.
Meanwhile, the manager of a service-oriented business is reporting to REAL News that the company’s customs broker has told her to prepare to pay more at the Port.
According to the manager, the broker says the Cabinet is considering the imposition of duty on quite a number of items that the United Progressive Party had deemed exempt.
Hence, he reportedly told her to “brace yourself,” since the cost of clearing goods is expected to go up soon.
Twice recently, Finance Minister Gaston Browne hinted at an increase in taxes. During the 2023 Budget Presentation, Browne noted that Antigua and Barbuda’s tax regime was lower than its neighbours and implied that this needed to be “corrected.”
Then, two weeks ago, in his Labour Day address, he warned public-sector workers that any unreasonable demands for salary increases would mean either retrenchment or an increase in taxes to compensate for the increase in Government’s expenditure.
It is clear that the Administration is feeling more than a financial pinch – making the allegation of increased Port fees quite credible.
The latest evidence of the cash crunch is the non-collection or late collection of garbage by the National Solid Waste Management Authority. In some communities, household waste has not been picked up in three weeks.
Accordingly, the size of the Government delegation to the recent coronation of the British monarchs – reportedly 22 persons – was highly criticized in some quarters as being “wasteful,” “poor boast” and a “joyride.”
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this article should have made the headlines.
why is it ‘hidden’? this government does not have it’s priorities right, they went on a ‘safari’ to london with 22 people, WHICH WAS TOTALLY UNNECESSARY, when in fact they are closing down the cancer centre because they have no money to pay the operating cost!
WHAT A WASTE OF TIME GOVERNMENT.
The ALP governments have a long record of poor fiscal management but they have always been lucky to benefit from PLM/UPP fiscal innovations.
Cases in Point?
1. Social Security introduced by PLM has been plundered and depleted by successive ALP administrations
2. CIP introduced by UPP for capital investment in the country, is now been used by the ABLP for daily operating expenses including the now infamous Alfo Nero maintenence
3. Personal Income Tax introduced by UPP was a reflection that the tax regime needed to be changed. It was a progressive tax, in that higher income earners paid more, according to their ability. It was also easier to collect.
4. ABLP abolished income tax and now want to impose, regressive taxes which hit lower income earners, more disproportionately. Compliance and collection rates have also fallen off.
But Antiguans look at the short term horizon, not the long term picture. So our country will continue to suffer and underperform.
Four months without pay? As a private sector businessman I couldn’t get away with that (and I wouldn’t want to)!
Not to worry though, this is another issue that the government doesn’t have to be held to account for.
VIVA GASTON BROWNE … 🥸
More jobs less taxes the ABLP said , because of covid and the former administration is their favorite lying line
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