President’s refusal to meet with gold miners leaves him clueless – Jagdeo
Jun 09, 2017 , http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....him-clueless-jagdeo/
President David Granger is clueless as to the woes of gold miners. He is yet to understand the real impact that the recently implemented tax measures has made on the mining industry, and this is all because he has refused to meet with the miners themselves and continues to rely on second hand information.
This was the assertion of Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo during his press conference yesterday.
Jagdeo said that he recently had a meeting with the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and got an understanding of the dire situations that miners are experiencing. Jagdeo said that the miners were happy to get an ear to discuss the issues affecting the sector.
“Although we had an anecdotal understanding, (of the issues in the mining industry) we now have a better understanding after the discussion with GGDMA about how these polices in real life affect miners.”
Jagdeo asserted that based on some “unholy” tactic by Junior Minister of Natural Resources Simona Broomes, “the President has refused to meet with the GGDMA.”
He said that as a result, “I do not think he (Granger) has a keen understanding about the impact of his government’s policies on the mining sector. And so there is this mistaken view that miners are making large sums of money, particularly small miners, and therefore there must be a target seems to be the prevailing view in every level of the government.”
Jagdeo said that the Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, needs to acknowledge that he made a mistake when he put in place some of the most “draconian taxation policies.”
The former president said that the tax measures imposed on miners will contribute to a decline in the industry which is the main sector carrying Guyana’s economy.
He referred to the 200 percent increase in tributors’ tax, the tax on heavy duty equipment and the fact that miners will now end up paying 28 percent income tax, and said that each of these measures were complained about by the miners.
Turning his attention back to the Junior Natural Resources Minister, Jagdeo said that Broomes is bad news for the mining industry. He said that she is constantly seeking to undermine the work of the GGDMA,
“She keeps mobilizing people who went to the meeting with the Minister of Finance and others and said they were happy to be taxed…that can be traced back to the government, particularly Broomes. We will continue to call for this reversal of taxation policy, hoping the government will accede to it. “
