OPINION: Tax increase on the population is a sign of incompetence and hate

18
Browne

Tax increase on the population is a sign of incompetence and hate

I find it highly outrageous, unconscionable and incompetent for any government to increase taxes that directly and substantial impacts locals, especially when other creative, innovative and considerate means to gain revenue for the government exist but have not been used.

One of the most important departments of any government is the department of finance; the department that is in charge of managing finances, creating fair and humane manner of creating revenue for the governement and a department that should be filled with experts in finance, economics, accounting, and other social science fields (it is vitally important to under social impact on revenue creation and collection).

I will frankly say increasing taxes right after a deadly viral pandemic that is still causing horrific economic crisis, especially impacting regular citizens, is a sign that your government is not creative, innovative and heartless (But it seems you love it that way). UPP did in 2009 and ABLP is doing so in 2023. I can not force you to want better.

I do believe enough though most locals seems to not have the intelligence (it does not even require an advance degree of education) to figure out that before burdening locals with new taxes and or increase in taxes government should first begin effectively usin local resources, facilitate new and existing businesses (so that the country can acquire more revenue in these indirect ways that have less direct impact on locals’ personal income and assets).

The government should also begin proper management of money from tourism and the port. The government simply needs to demand (make it law) for hotels, touristy restaurants and event places to buy a percentage of their food, drinks and chattels that are locally farmed and produced (about 35% must be locally produced) which will increase sales bringing in a substantial amount of re-occuring revenues that the government will benefit from in collection of already established local sales taxes (instead of increasing sales taxes). Just increase the frequency of revenue for the government, which also increases total yearly revenue. Motivate locals to produce locally, even more. They can do it.

Why not try this instead of burdening locals with new taxes, just encourage them to spend locally, more and often. That is all the government needs to do to raise substantial income before considering killing folks with new and additional taxes the local regular average and poor people will suffer from.

With proper management of money from tourism, farming and the port, there should be no new taxes at this time but more reduction in taxes for locals. How uncaring and inhumane you want a government to be? I guess it is clear when a government say they cannot help you, they mean they cannot help you. No government official should ever utter such words and ever feel they can not help any person.

Instead of pushing new taxes, try pushing for new businesses of national importance that reasonable access to billions and other ideas that could provide jobs and income to locals which would encourage more spending locally and more revenue for the government without deterring spending locally by implementing taxes. The taxes will only decrease local spending, when the government actually needs the dollars to circulate often and longer locally.

Try for 2  or more years, after the deadly viral pandemic that is causing substantial economic hardship pushing, for various kinds of international businesses (small to large), encourage more exports of local fruits and vegetables, encourage locals to spend more locally by reducing taxes (encourage more local spending, since we know an increase in taxes will push locals to fly abroad and frequently and also deter local spending and more keeping in their money sitting in banks, causing stagnation in the economy).

It would mean so much for ABLP to try first to get the additional income they need now because of waste from ways that are less intrusive and burdensome to their people. Things are already hard.

My idea also includes not taxing locals but instead selling them Antigua and Barbuda treasury bonds with decent interest rate (substantially above average local interest rate); making bonds Uncashable for one year or two, with high interest on investment to fund local projects and making sure the public’s confidence in the bonds are high. So that people know they will not have any issues at all getting back their investment and earning on it.  Which means always having the cash available for those wanting to cash after the minimum one or two or 3 years. But making the interest so attractive they want to keep the bonds for 30 years so that the government has access to this income and instead of borrowing money overseas and for rediculous cost, that kind of cost is paid to locals. There are a high percentage of government funding that can be had locally instead of internationally.

Decrease Jamaicans and Guyanese moving locally to Antigua in an amount that is above 10% of local indigenous Antiguan and Barbudan population. Preserve the culture. And preserve internal spending. You may even tax western union (sending out, for non-educational reasons).

Encourage and market mental health tourism (relaxation, counseling, emotional support, etcetera) are prescription paid for by numerous US funds billlion dollar funds and insurance policies. Emotional and mental health care is easier to provide than physical medical care that we all know physical medical care in Antigua is not healthy for anyone (numerous family members died from physical medical care negligence from Antigua physical medical care services).

I am also calling for a reduction in salaries for politicians, especially those who are making millions or so while in office.

I am not against increasing taxes on alcohol, cigarettes, Marijuana, and old cars entering the country.

You can not implement taxes on people without first finding other ways to raise revenue that is less intrusive on the locals living standard. The government should have experts in this area of economics and business but it is clear they do not.  Before increasing taxes, you must try increase efficiency. They have not tried everything that would not burden locals before going to burden locals. It is like this is what they prefer, burdening the locals who has no sense they deserve better.

The sad part is that locals do not know that competent people exist with good ideas and can execute these ideas successfully. It is genuinely sad that what they think is the best is not even close to the best they can truly have. However, folks have rights to choose and they chose.

Any government who has refused to help you open a business of national importance, where service given will be coming from funds that are in the billions of dollars but that government say they cannot faciliate a smooth and fair process that is needed to open a business that will bring jobs and possibly millions or billions are not a good government for the people. You must try everything before burdening the locals with additional taxes.

But the dunces with no self-esteem have no clue the power they have. Politicians should plead to you, should support you and not you cursing ignorant for them to now tax you without taking prudent and reasonable steps to not have to do so.

If this does not show you the difference between care and not caring, competence and incompetence, innovative and not innovating then as I already decided, there are no saving the Antigua and Barbuda people.

Honestly, scientifically, based on my research of most Antiguans (not Barbudans), the nation is already lost and at stage where there are no return from this detrimental way of thinking. Antigua in 10 years or so, will cease to be Antigua (culturally and financially).

What your incompetent politicians think is impossible, trust me, I know people who have done it and successfully do so. Antiguans and Barbudans should be some of the wealthiest people in the world, with government having billions in government accounts to cover any hardships that arises if the country was being managed properly for decades.

Answer this question, when was the last time you saw the government perform something creative and innotive to ease any financial burden on the people of Antigua and Barbuda? I am not referring to borrowing money or selling or leasing lands to others? I am also not referring to begging.

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18 COMMENTS

  1. Didn’t Gassssston say a few weeks ago that Antigua & Barbuda was an economic powerhouse?

    This was only a SUBLIMINAL message to potential investors, and not to the hardworking Antiguan citizens.

    Sometimes I have to admit to the – misleading – PM’S wordplay …

    • Rather than burdening the poor people of this country with trying to find more money they should try and get it from the people that are bleeding this country with all there hotels and supermarkets that I’m sure they are not paying the right amount of tax.

  2. It is sad but you are right – there is no saving Antigua and Barbuda. The people have to want better and be willing to fight for it. But between badminded and small-mindedness….there’s no chance.

    • The black man or Antiguan brains has be harvested from colonialism to neo- colonialism, the latter is coconutification, black leaders who are coconut, brown outside and white inside, that the neocolinial agenda enforcers to keep their people in poverty like the former white terrorist did. But if course that leader will steal and extract to foreign banks creating a stable banking system in the European countries that is able to give low interest loans to it’s people, And the politicians becomes a stooge of the USA and Europe in terms of them subjecting us to their hegemony because the politicians are afraid their personal loot of cash on these offshore banks would be ceased, and our people deal with a politics of identity and pragmatism and not ideological politics. So we red and we blue except thinking of our future and children future. Every 5 year the monied class which are usually white, pay huge amount of monies for our emotional elections where we elect leaders that has a great command of the colonizer English tongue, and celebrate the as academics even though them never run a sweety shop, along with the jamming and gyrating dances paid for by whites who think we are good for nothing, and walls! We elect dealers and not leaders again, are we children of a lesser god?

      • Wow @ Eldread, you hit the “colonial” nail squarely on the head; and your point about the “jamming and gyrating dances paid for by whites who think we are good for nothing …” is very close to the REAL truth.

        Also your line about “We elect dealers and not leaders”, also highlights the REAL truth to power politics currently in Antigua & Barbuda.

        I applaud your forthright views … 👏🏾

  3. That is why those who can are packing up and leaving this corrupt place. Enough is enough. You cannot win the war with a corrupt dictator as leader.
    Very sad for those who have no choice. These corrupt people that are elected to work on behalf of the people don’t care about anything but enriching themselves. They have each other’s backs. This is a government that has no respect for Antiguans.

  4. The headline of this article is rather whiningly childish.
    If you don’t wish to pay taxes, then move to a place where taxes are non-existent. I’m choosing not to read the full content of the article as it goes down an illogical path.

    • I do not see pushing for local hotels and restaurants buying more locally produced food and good to be an illogical way of raising revenue and production in the country.

      I do not see encouraging the government to borrow locally and pay back locals those high interest they would pay a foreign entity to be illogical

      I do not see nothing mentioned here to be illogical. Raising taxes on locals that are struggling is the illogical and inhumane thing @Dave Ray.

      Good cannot be bad and bad good. You should read the full thing. Innovation and creativity helps the people, if we actually care for them.

    • Oh yes ray I agree that if them don’t pay that tax you can’t get your largesse from our treasury to bank in america for supporting terrorism against Antiguan and barbudans for white monopoly capital domination. I was in Abaco Bahamas when a lady told me you are a chat friend, I just let her know you ideologies towards black Antiguans just for money.

  5. You cannot always choose to solve every government problem with taxing folks.

    I never said taxes are not important but not those that can be avoided, should be avoided.

    We need to use our brain and be creative to help these folks, even the dunces who do not know they deserve better should be given better. Genuine care will make you help those that do not even help themself. I am helping them by encouraging those in authority to think bigger and better.

  6. What the hell did you even respond @Dave Ray? You don’t live here. There is no need for a tax hike when this incompetent, lying, lunatic idiot is controlling our finances and has collected over 14 billion in 10 years, and refuses to collect 51% of the ABST because they have his greedy a$$ in their pockets.
    Gaston Browne and the ones illegally withholding tax revenues should be jailed.

    • But wait! I thought Dave Ray lived and paid taxes here in Antigua – what a crock, I can never take his pro Gaston/ABLP comments seriously again.

      Is this true Dave … over to you for clarification.

      You always spoke as if you lived in Tigua 🇦🇬

  7. I would hope the writer said all of this in 2007 when the ABST was introduced by the UPP. But not only the ABST they introduced the PIT in 2005. Some people are really showing hos silly they are. They really don’t know how to act in opposition. Just oppose for opposing sake is not a good strategy.

    • Only idiots or those without love would praise a government that brags about the big monied foreign investments operating tax free in our country, while the (ex) enslaved Africans pay to fix roads, pay to keep the country filthy, pay for Ministers to travel for their ‘per diem’ plus plus.
      Idiot this is still slavery! Get your head out of you know where😩

    • @From the sideline I remember saying the same thing in 2009 and the response was similar to Dave Ray’s response, why no one wants to pay taxes.

      When the topic is not about not paying taxes it is about the increasing of taxes, it is about using other ways to raise funds instead of always using tax increases as a way to raise funds. Soon tax will be 100% of your income will be collected for taxes ha ha ha. I take the ha ha ha back because how they are going and how incompetent and not creative they are, they may just do that.

      I strongly believe the people are already paying too much taxes, there need to be other less intrusive manner to raise revenue for the government.

      I also want to leave with one thing, are there any experts in the ministry of finance with a masters or doctorate in economics or accounting or finance or business or social science with concentration on how the economy affects society?

      Are there any reasonable manner in which this government is making these vitally important and high impact decisions?

      Cxc is not enough, this is people’s life. You ate telling an attorney from a better developed jurisdiction he needs to take your local class first, okay.

      What are you telling your ministers and other government workers who are in control of vitally important government departments pertaining to their education, skills, ability, experience?

      Now think about that everyone.

      • @my way of helping December 16, 2023 At 10:03 am
        “I strongly believe the people are already paying too much taxes, there need to be other less intrusive manner to raise revenue for the government.”

        So that is your believe. But the stats show that Antigua and Barbuda is the least taxed in the entire region. And perhaps the entire world. How do you then square that. Our tax to GDP is at 15% while the average for the EC Islands alone is 25%. So we are way below the average. But your believe is that we are over taxed. I wonder what the basis of your believe is. Since the ABLP administration removed the PIT and did not introduced any new taxes since then. And by the way a comsumption tax is called a regressive tax. But since the government is mindfull of that they have a large group of goods that do not attrack this tax. And the PM has named them in parliament. So infact anyone can enusre they pay the least ABST by chosing these items. And do not say that the list should be widend even more. or else you may as will say, we should not be paying any tax whatsoever. let the government find other ways other then taxes to earn money. And the only other way would be selling more passports, selling all the lands and all the other assets of the state. I understand phylosophically the ABLP is against PIT and the UPP is for it, but that is why we have a democratic system, that when one party is on power they do away with one system and when the other party comes to power they introduce it again. The people will therefore decide which they prefer.
        Mia Mottley came to power and went into an IMF program and introduced many new and increase tax measures. And now the people are screaming about being over taxed. But they voted for Mia.

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