Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.
by John Goddard
After nearly fifty-six years as an independent nation, none of us can be satisfied that enough has been done to improve the quality of life for the majority of Barbadians.
Elsa, a category 1 hurricane, showed up the poor housing conditions existing in 21st century Barbados. Despite all the fancy talk about housing renewal in Bridgetown, many inhabitants of our capital city still live in fear of moderate showers and pray that winds above forty miles an hour don’t visit the island.
Government borrows money for all kinds of projects; it is time that loans are obtained for rebuilding houses in places like Greenfields, Cat’s Castle among other socially depressed areas. The Church, the private sector and NGO’s can be encouraged to join in this venture. Of course, there are villages in rural Barbados where attention needs to be paid to adequate housing.
The cost of living continues to cause suffering among ordinary citizens. Why are we importing so much food in a country which has so much fertile land that presently remains uncultivated.
During World War 2, the then Governor of Barbados mandated that plantations use portions of land for food crops. Given the war in Ukraine and supply chain problems, government could consider a similar policy, starting with its own vacant lands.
Oil is central to the inflation rate throughout the world. In my view, Caribbean governments can tackle the problem by working with the oil producing countries of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
These countries should provide all the fuel needs of the region at an agreed rate which should remain stable regardless of the cost of oil on the international market. The oil producers would have a guaranteed market and the countries buying oil would avoid the unpredictability of fuel prices.
In 2018, the new BLP administration replaced road taxes with a 40 cents per litre tariff. It did not take long for both government and consumers to recognise that the amount of money acquired through this measure was more than three times the revenue which road taxes brought in. If government is serious about lowering fuel prices, it should reduce the tariff by 40 per cent. That concession would still allow the treasury to get adequate revenue, and it would most definitely ease the pockets of motorists.
The perennial complaint of temporary public servants regarding the inordinate length of time it takes for them to be paid must be addressed. There can be no excuse in this age of technology for workers and contractors on government projects to have to wait three and four months for payment.
Heads of government departments must be held accountable for the timely settlement of government bills. Nurses, clerical officers and other public officers cannot afford to wait long periods for wages and salaries, nor can contractors, especially small ones, endure the long delays which presently exist.
Employers in Barbados have, for too long, got away with failure or refusal to pay in contributions to the National Insurance Scheme. The result has been that in times of sickness etc, employees discover that no NIS cheque is forthcoming. Similarly, VAT paid by consumers is often not forwarded to the VAT office.
Government set a bad precedent in 2018 when it cancelled VAT debt. We may use as many euphemisms as we like, but businesses which practise these habits are just as guilty of stealing as shoplifters.
I have, on more than one occasion, advocated the reform of the income tax structure to allow retired persons greater disposable income. For more than thirty years, retirees paid taxes and even now make their contribution to the treasury through VAT.
Why can’t they have their pension to spend on themselves in the evening of their days? More disposable income is likely to mean that pensioners would be able to pay for their doctor visits rather than use the services of the QEH and Polytechnics.
In short, the elderly would have more money to spend on goods and services. I call upon BARP to join in making the plea for tax reform. The present crime rate threatens to impact negatively on our social and economic life.
I noticed the offer made by the DLP president to work with government to deal with the issue of crime, especially murders. Government should take up the offer, and among other measures, set up a non-partisan task force on crime, comprising government, the DLP, former Leader of the Opposition, Joe Atherley, a social worker, union representative, a youth representative, church representative, educator and any other organisation /person the Attorney General deems capable of making recommendations to address the vexing problem. We need to move with dispatch to demonstrate that we believe that Barbados can be a better place to live, work and do business.
John Goddard, retired but always an educator.
