VAT likely to be reduced – Ramotar

From Ralph Seeram
A Donald Ramotar administration will have no problem reviewing the VAT tax structure with the possibility of reducing it from the current 16 per cent. In an invited comment, the PPP Presidential Candidate said that he would entertain the idea, but a thorough review has to be made before considering lowering the taxes.
Mr. Ramotar was part of a high-powered PPP delegation visiting the Central Florida area on Sunday.
The team headed by President Bharrat Jagdeo also included three Cabinet Ministers— Minister of Tourism Manniram Prashad; Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud and Minister of Housing and Water Mohamed Irfaan Ali.

Donald Ramotar

The team was touring Florida to meet with Guyanese in the Diaspora and to bring them up to date on the progress the PPP Government has made since coming to office in 1992.
Their visit coincided with some private fund raiser organized by PPP supporters in Miami, Tampa, and Orlando area.Mr. Ramotar spoke of the healthy financial position Guyana finds itself and attributed this to the fiscal policies of the PPP administration.
Speaking to an audience of some 200 PPP supporters Mr. Ramotar reiterated that Guyana has a US$1B foreign reserve.
When asked why the value added tax (VAT) cannot be reduced since Guyana is in such great financial strength, Mr. Ramotar responded that Guyana has one of the lowest VAT rates in the Caribbean and that more than 100 essential items have been exempted.
Speaking to his supporters at the Venue Banquet Hall in Orlando, Florida, the PPP presidential candidate pointed out that most of the people in the Diaspora left Guyana during the difficult times of the PNC Government.  He appealed for Guyanese to come back home to reside since conditions are much better now than under the previous Government.
Following Mr. Ramotar was President Jagdeo who gave his audience a detailed overview of Guyana’s economy.
He repeated his boast that Guyana has one of the most vibrant economies in the Caribbean with only four per cent of revenues going to servicing debt. He emphasized that the PPP is committed to ensure that the country remains a strong democracy.
Elections will continue to be transparent and free. Racial unity has always been the emphasis of the PPP. Crime, which is a major concern in the Diaspora, was also addressed by the President.
Statistically, he pointed out, Guyana has one of the lowest crime rates in the Caribbean, never the less the Government is in the process of building an intelligence apparatus to combat crime. Intelligence gathering will be transferred from the police to this unit which will lead the fight to criminals.
He lamented that the local media put more emphasis on negative issues such as crime but fail to point out the positive accomplishments of the government.
Despite criticisms from Kaieteur News and other sections of the media, the President said, he will always defend the rights of the press to criticize the government even if the government does not share that view.
Another crime fighting effort being implemented is placing security cameras through out the country; this along with the Intelligence Unit will be a new tool in the fight against crime. He criticised the U.S Government for its poor support to countries like Guyana in their fight against drug traffickers, pointing out that U.S. support barely averages US$20,000 per year.
He said that the drug trafficking problem is really a failure of U.S law enforcement since over 60 per cent of the drugs comes to the U.S.A.
Earlier the visiting delegation was treated to a cultural programme by two Guyanese cultural groups based in Orlando— the Central Florida Buxton Group and the Vashnie Dance Academy. The event was hosted by the Association of Concerned Guyanese of Florida.