Zaimoon Ramjohn, fish vendor – `I am a poor woman. Everything in the shops raise. When I go to buy bread it gone from $130 to $160. This is very, very difficult for me to pay. I don’t understand this VAT thing because at first I heard that you have to pay 30% now they say it is 16%. I wish someone could come and explain it to me. Things really hard for me now. To me this whole VAT thing will be more difficult for me in the coming months. A gallon of rice raise by 45%. The people in the shops are still charging VAT on their old stocks and that is not right. This is very, very unfair for the poor class of people.’
Vidywatti Geewal, fish vendor – `I don’t understand how this VAT works. I made sure that I stocked up during the holiday because I knew that things would be harder for me. Because I have stocked up I will have some time to get into VAT. I will have to look at the news to understand it better. I believe that persons from the VAT office need to start coming around and explaining this thing to people. I don’t even know if fish is going to have VAT. If that happens, life will be harder for me. I don’t think this new system is fair because even the foodstuff gone up. My son came home one day and told me that he went to the shop to buy a $15 biscuit and they told him that he has to pay $25. The person in the shop robbed him. When you go to buy thing they charging you extra VAT and if you ask them for the correct change they would tell you that they don’t have change. The shop people robbing us.’
Sunita Arjune, minibus conductor – `Things are really, really difficult for me. I sent my son to buy a lamp wick, which normally costs $45. He came back and said that it cost $100 now. This is more than double the normal price. Biscuit gone from $25 to $35. Everything has gone up. Is that supposed to be? I don’t think that this is fair to me. I am punishing.
Those in authority need to see what they can do for us where VAT is concerned. I don’t understand how this thing works because items are supposed to raise by 16% and that is not happening. The prices are being raised by more. It is illegal for the people in the shop to do this but they are still doing it. I might even have to force myself to raise my bus fare just so I can survive this VAT.’
Shanan, canecutter – `I understand VAT. It simply means that when you go to buy something it has been raised by 16%. I just bought a small drink for $80 but the person who sold me it didn’t give me a receipt to show how much VAT I paid. There is no VAT certificate up in that shop. This VAT is going to be harder on my pocket because it is more money I will be paying for goods. I even had to stop smoking because cigarettes price has gone up. It was $180 and now it is $300. In months to come things will get harder for us.’
Colleen Miller, teacher – `So far I haven’t encountered VAT. It is not very clear to me and I think we need to be more educated about it. I think that life will be harder for me. I am going to Georgetown to see how VAT is being used. I had decided to stock up my house with foodstuff since the holidays. My sister told me that she bought a shoe in Discount Store and she had to pay a lot more money on it. I need a shoe so I am going there to see for myself what the price is like.’
Ian Heerman, labourer – `VAT will modernize the country. I understand that we will be paying 16% more on items and this money will be going to the government. I haven’t faced VAT yet. I don’t think that it will be hard on me because some prices will be higher and others will be lower. The increase I believe will not be anything much. VAT is basically the 16% you pay on everything you buy. If you go to the supermarket and but ten things, for five you will pay more and the others you will pay less. I think that we are ready for VAT. Guyanese are crying out now but we will soon get accustomed to it.’
Rajrani Persaud, shop owner – `I am finding this new tax very difficult. I don’t really understand it. When I go to buy products in the store everything has increased. The businesspeople are pressuring the lower class of people. Things that are not suppose to rise. I don’t understand how this thing works. Things might get difficult in the months to come. I might have to increase my prices a little because I have to pay more when I go to buy my goods. I don’t want to do that but I have to. I am not looking at making a profit but getting a turnover to buy more products. Things will get rough in the next few months.’
George Ali, painter – ‘I haven’t experienced VAT yet. I don’t understand anything about it. I have heard that old stock is being sold with VAT on them and that is not supposed to happen. It will be harder for me in the next few months because I will have to be spending more money. I can’t even explain what VAT is. I believe that you will have to pay about 16% on every product you buy. In some cases people have to pay more than 16%. This is definitely unfair. We here in Guyana will suffer.’
Fiona De Cambra, waitress – `Having to pay VAT on everything has made life harder for me. I don’t really understand how it works. All I know is that I will have to pay more on the items I buy in the shop. Life for me will definitely be harder. I have read about it in the newspaper but I still don’t understand it. People don’t come to around to us and educate us about it.’
Kester Pillew, secondary school student – `I haven’t gone to the shops to see how the VAT works. I don’t even understand how it works. I don’t now how much extra I will have to pay on items. I heard my uncle complaining about it. He was saying he had to pay a lot more for items. I have to go to Georgetown to experience this much talked about VAT.’
