As residents continue to complain bitterly about the rising cost of living, Democratic Labour Party (DLP) member Ryan Walters is urging the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) government to provide them with an ease in taxes.
Suggesting that government can do a lot more to “cushion” residents from the rising cost of living, Walters pointed to several revenue-raising measures that were implemented over the past four years, which he recommended the Government should review.
He said while he acknowledged that the Mia Mottley administration has being making some “attempts to cushion the average man”, he believed a lot more could be done since the rising costs were not only as a result of global occurrences.
“The truth is, yes, most of the pressure we face are imposed on us but we can’t discount what control we have domestically,” said Walters, in a brief statement.
“My opinion is that to complement the current suite of initiatives, there needs to be a more holistic and balanced approach to tackling cost of living and the amount of disposable income of households. In some households $100, $50 or even $20 can be the difference between paying a bill or buying meat to put on your food,” he argued.
Walters suggested that Barbadians were burdened with taxes that were contributing to the high cost of living.
He singled out the Garbage and Sewage Contribution (GSC) levy attached to water bills for the past four years, which was estimated to have raked in more than $260 million to date, the one-off pandemic levy that had to be paid by certain segments of the population, the increased costs at the gas pumps and an increase in bus fares from $2 to $3.50 in April 2019.
“These are but a few of the revenue-generating policies of the government since coming to office. But what these have in common, is that they have all impacted you directly and are all factors that have contributed to the increases in cost of living in recent times,” said Walters.
“So being balanced means, what can a government do in addition to tackling inflation at the port? Clearly, it appears based on the sums being collected in all of these new taxes that there should be some consideration for relief at this level,” he recommended.
“If we do cost of living correctly we can have a healthier economy overall that is good for everyone. When working families have more money to spend, they will invest it back into the economy through consumption and investment, which will create jobs and spur economic growth. Ultimately, efficient cost of living management would improve the quality of life for all people, not just those at the top,” he explained.
Walters added: “I believe that the government can do more and be more effective in its policy decisions. All they have to do is look at where people are spending and try their best to offer relief in those areas.”
The former DLP candidate urged residents to “hang in there” and make necessary personal adjustments so they can “get by”.
“As the saying goes, we have to ‘tighten our belts’. Cut back on those unnecessary expenses and look for opportunities to get some extra cash. Start that small business you have been thinking about for a while. All is not lost and we all have to play our part,” suggested Walters.
His comments come weeks before government is expected to outline a new budget for the 2022/2023 fiscal year, which begins April 1.
“No government is perfect,” Walters acknowledged, “I assume at some time soon they will tell us what they think worked and what they think didn’t [over the last four years],” he added. (MM)
