TAKE A BOW WINSTON. TAKE A BOW!
August 11, 2015 | By KNews | Filed Under Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom, Source
There will be a lot of criticisms about the maiden Budget tabled by APNU+AFC. But in the context of a number of studies, commissions of inquiries, pending negotiations with unions, the Budget tabled by the Minister of Finance for 2015 must be given credit.
It is a most decent effort considering that it is really a Budget for a mere four months. Many people will complain about the lack of measures to address the fundamental concerns in the economy, but do not tell that to the pensioners who are grabbing a four thousand dollars fatter paycheck each month.
The PPP at best offered a $2,500 increase to pensioners, the numbers of which have grown unusually large, and which the late AFC parliamentarian Sheila Holder had reservations about. She had urged an audit of those on the pension roll, something strangely the new government has not yet done.
Instead it is prepared to dole out an impressive four thousand dollars more each month to each pensioner, bringing the monthly stipend to $17,000. That is most impressive and just about will immensely please every single pensioner.
It is hoped that both the Minister of Social Protection and the Minister of Finance will ensure that an audit is done of the pension roll to ensure that no ineligible persons are receiving this pension.
There is a strong belief, and it had existed since the time of Sheila Holder, that the roll was padded with persons residing overseas. No attempt has ever been made to do a proper audit, and it is hoped that this can be done now, so as to ensure that not a cent of the hundreds of millions that will have to be found to pay this four thousand-dollar increase per month will not go to ineligible persons, including those who are receiving social security in the United States, England and Canada.
The government must be commended for keeping its campaign promise to pensioners. This is a good thing that has been done.
In terms of wage increases, it was shocking to learn that there are persons within the government service who work for under $50,000 per month, which incidentally is now the basic pay for public service employees. Most shop girls receive about $12,000-$13,000 dollars per week which works out to an average of $50,000 per month. So it is disappointing to learn that there are still persons earning below this sum in the public service.
It is hoped that the opposition, when they do decide to enter the National Assembly, will request the names and numbers of all those earning below $39,000 so as to verify just how many persons will benefit from this new basic wage in the public service, and not minimum wage as it is being represented.
The government has also imposed a five per cent increase in wages for other government workers plus an additional $5,000 for month. I do not know if the latter is some sort of cost-of-living allowance, but the whole package resembles something that the PPP would do.
The GPSU should state whether they were consulted on these increases and if they agreed to it or whether it is, like the PPP did so often, an imposition. Will the GPSU do as they did during the time of the PPP? Call on their members to accept the increase, but treat it as an interim payment until proper wages negotiations take place?
There were many other issues, including VAT and the pitiful reduction in Berbice River Bridge tolls – which will now have to be subsidized by taxpayers – which failed to impress. But all in all it was not a bad Budget by the new Minister of Finance, for which he should take a bow, just a slight bow…no bent knees.