UWI Professor Calls for Improved Tax Collection in Antigua

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Professor C. Justin Robinson the new Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Five Islands Campus.

Principal of The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Five Islands Campus Professor Justin Robinson, has called for a significant improvement in Antigua’s tax collection efforts.

Despite the nation’s impressive economic growth, Robinson highlighted that Antigua has frequently run primary deficits, indicating a critical issue with tax compliance.

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11 COMMENTS

  1. I guess this UWI professor is eyeing the poor people with mennial jobs, I think he would be centrist and won’t advocate for the taxes PLH and yeda and some fantasy economic zone gets to extract to banks abroad, no how dear he offend the pm scheme and friends.

  5. Has he seen the rise in cost of living lately in Antigua? The rise in crime? Is he willing to pay a higher PIT out of his wages? Where is his NFP organization?

  6. Two of the biggest problems facing tax collection in Antigua and Barbuda are:
    1. Politicians who view the treasury as there personal bank account, to do what they like with public funds.
    2. Public servants who operates under the notion that when the Minister says waive they waive. They are ignorant of what the law says. Unaware that laws are to be enforce not by politicians but by civil servants.
    Fifty percent of the concessions granted are illegal i.e not supported by law. This happened because there is no proper system of vetting and approving concessions ..
    If we get rid of all illegal concessions what a wonderful place this could be

  7. Please professor, stay out of things you do not understand. Even the usage of the place you now sit is an abberation. Have you ever given some thoughts to that? Have you seen how donations given to the people under the GCF is about to be huffed? And, purportedly funds given to Barbuda?
    You sir sit at a high place, above the common folks in Antigua and you rub shoulders with the higher ups whose interest is not letting you know the truth. So please, spend some more of your intellect and try to decipher the 6 for a 9 you have been given before spouting on such matters.

  8. The reality is, and the Prime Minister is aware, that the burden of taxation falls on poor working class people. That is because of the Government’s reliance on indirect taxes, which they have increased since coming to office in 2014. This hurts the working class mostly because they cannot avoid paying the higher fees and taxes on daily necessities.

    Meanwhile, those who can afford to pay taxes are the ones who get most of the tax breaks. In return for political and financial support, the upper class receive all types of tax breaks; tax waivers on just about everything. These tax waivers actually give an unfair advantage to some of these businesses, who go to the bank laughing.

    By the way, a lot of the “economic growth” being experienced is as a result of inflation (some imported but a lot resulting from the increase in indirect taxes). Just check the information released by the Statistics Department, and you will note that inflation has been above 10% per annum for most of the last 9 years, while economic growth has averaged in the region of 7%. As such we have experienced negative real growth.

    Professor Robinson is correct when he says we must collect the taxes already on our books, rather than introducing new or increasing existing taxes, as the Browne administration has done. The problem for the ABLP is that they may lose financial political support, if they move to end tax waivers for the privileged few.

  9. What’s the big deal here,”ana wha say,a who say?” This has been suggested to Gaston Browne by others, even in his own camp.
    The response? Don’t want to upset the apple cart. ” And since he continues to mismanage the country’s finances, the money must come from somewhere, hence the excessive taxation.
    That’s the result of having a dunce controlling the public purse.

  10. Another Gaston Browne stooge, who is promoting the the misguidance, mismanagement and misappropriation of ABLP governance.

    All of a sudden this Robinson fellow is being wheeled out to push more ABLP propaganda.

    Professor Robinson, when you start to push for government accountability and transparency, then and only then will the autochthonous Antiguans of this GREAT country listen to the likes of you.

    BTW, in your eyes has Gaston Browne made any mistakes in his 2-3 terns of office?

    Looking forward to your response Prof 😉

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