Dear Editor,
Government and Finance Minister Winston Jordan were last year roasted for introducing dozens of new taxes in the 2017 Budget, ranging from one on private education to a tax on miners. A significant amount of rage was pointed to the Minister, but from all appearances this time around, the 2018 edition might be the first indication of measures aimed at simply winning votes. After all, it is mid- term and Local Government Elections are scheduled for next year.
After much picketing and lobbying, the education services tax has been lifted and Cabinet has also seen it fit to reduce the tributors tax by 10 per cent. The mining community has already signalled that it is happy with the reduction.
Despite what the Cabinet and the coalition might wish to say, the 2018 Budget is clearly intended to win hearts and minds. For instance, delinquent taxpayers will benefit from an amnesty both for not filing any taxes at all, or by fudging the figures to pay less to the State. Again, this is an olive branch to voters, designed to bring in billions in additional revenues and to change the view, of maybe too many Guyanese, that Government was simply hell-bent on piling on too many taxes, rules and regulations on them.
There are numerous other goodies that could be mentioned from the budget. The PPP might find it much harder this year to hurl criticism at this document than last year as there are so many points to which parliamentarians and Government supporters can point to and defend. But as I often tell my friends, Government is doing a horrible job in creating opportunities for youth in keeping with promises prior to 2015. This has to be addressed or the coalition might well pay dearly for this in 2020, oil or no oil.
