PRESS RELEASE: With No Economic Plan For The Covid Comeback, Gaston Browne Continues to Borrow and Write-off Debt
Despite convening the Economic Recovery Committee (ERC), Gaston Browne has failed to lay out a viable economic plan. This concern was captured in UPP Leader, Harold Lovell’s Pre-Election Address, where he made the following remarks:
Like most countries, the presence of the global pandemic was felt in Antigua and Barbuda, where lives, jobs and opportunities were lost.
But the Browne Administration was still financially better off than any administration before it, in Antigua and Barbuda, even in their boom years.
That is a fact that the Prime Minister, himself, has stated and documented in the 2021 and 2022 Budget Statements. Browne claims that tax revenues still yielded high returns and CIP still made significant money. At the same time documents show that borrowings still continued without let-up.
After collecting $11 BILLION in total revenue, including over $2 BILLION from the CIP, and after enjoying, on average, $300 million MORE, per year, in revenue than the UPP collected, It is unjustifiable that in 2023, after more than EIGHT years of supposed prosperity, the people of Antigua and Barbuda still living struggling to make ends meet.
During the worst of times during the pandemic, there was no stimulus no relief and over 1,000 small and micro businesses went under, further weakening the safety net of Social Security.
Interestingly, other Caribbean islands introduced various relief and recovery measures. Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and St. Kitts implemented several of the very measures that the UPP recommended to bring relief to our people.
These included:
- Stabilizing the prices of fuel.
- Lowering the fuel-variation charge on electricity.
- Intervening at Customs to remove or reduce taxes on common food items.
These ideas and recommendations put forward by United Progressive Party were virtually ignored. However, as the election date approached, Prime Minister has offered indiscriminate write-offs that, essentially, penalize those who have played by the rules and sacrificed to pay their bills.
Further, Browne has been borrowing to pay salary increases and is trying to convince the electorate that this is feasible and sustainable.
Many see the write-offs at Inland Revenue, APUA and the hospital are “largesse” handed out by a government that – all of a sudden – cares about the people
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
Antigua do not be FOOLED by the UPP and its “leader”
@ Joanne Massiah
I would rather take a chance with the POOR HONEST MEN/WOMEN OF THE UPP THAN TRUST ANYWORD OR PROMISE MADE BY GASTON BROWNE AND HIS ALCOHOLICS AND KLEPTOMANIACS IN THE DNA……..
AFTER 9 YEARS WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR WATER IN ”14 DAYS”, STILL WAITING ON ”500 HOMES IN 500 DAYS”…….ALL THESE EMPTY PROMISES TRYING TO FOOL THE PEOPLE.
GET RID OF THEM.
TEAR-GASSING IS ON THE BALLOT PEOPLE: THAT EVIL AND WICKED ACT AGAINST CHILDREN AND BABIES. THAT ALONE SHOULD SEND THEM INTO THE DUSTBIN OF HISTORY.
Well I never! Look how Barbados 🇧🇧, Grenada 🇬🇩, St Kitt’s & Nevis 🇹🇿, St Vincent 🇻🇨and St Lucia 🇱🇨 put together a relief and recovery packages for their citizens.
And what does Gaston ‘self-enrichment’ Browne and the ABLP do for Antiguans 🇦🇬 to help them to cope with the high cost of living?
YES, THAT’S RIGHT FOLKS … ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!
Another VALID reason to vote ABLP out!
Well well well, desperation has reached its highest. If you want to exaggerate why not say they collected 11 trillion dollars in revenue. That sounds better. Anyway, this time tomorrow your pain will be over. Your leader Harold Lovell will be thew first to fall and taken to LBMS. Ambulances will be on standby guys and girls. We have taken precautions for your own best. Now if you cannot sleep tonight, drink some soursop leaf tea or hemp tea. It calms down the nerves. And I also recommend if you have a headset, put it on when going to bed with some classical music from Strauss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9bEJGCXgBo
By the way I just learned that it is very busy at Dry Hill with UPP candidates collecting brown paper bags. Well, what did anyone expect?
From The Sideline I cannot believe you are still spreading your lies and propaganda to the very end. This is D-Day and the lies and propaganda of you and Eric (The Red) and all the other ALP apologists and propagandists will soon come to an end.
When the pictures are circulated on social media you can come and tell me again who is spreading lies. Cause certainly they were shown last night on Pointe FM. if you want you can go watch the recording from last night
@ FTS
YOU GUYS ARE ALWAYS DEFLECTING AND SHIFTING WHEN IT IS THE ABLP THAT IS BUYING PEOPLES VOTES: GASTON GIVING AWAY MONEY LIKE CRAZY TO ALL AND SUNDRY IN EVERY CORNER OF THE COUNTRY.
THAT IS THE ONLY WAY THEY CAN WIN AN ELECTION: WITH HAND-OUTS, NOT WITH MERIT
We are still waiting for the SECOND CITY under the Willoughby Bay Project. Gaston and the ALP has failed this country miserably.
From The Sideline I cannot believe you are still spreading your lies and propaganda to the very end. This is D-Day and the lies and propaganda of you and Eric (The Red) and all the other ALP apologists and propagandists will soon come to an end.
Comments are closed.