Dear Editor,
Several letters have been written in the past by both organizations and individuals, including myself, on VAT’s detrimental effects on the lives of the average Guyanese family. In most cases, concrete and specific examples were given which clearly illustrate that VAT was not well thought out, resulting in cost of living increases, which are far more than pay increases received.
Unless government takes a realistic view of the ongoing mass suffering, which could be directly attributed to the introduction of VAT, the average family would sink into deeper and deeper poverty, thereby shattering any intent for Guyana to timely achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
One wonders about the motivation behind the authors who tout the efficacy of VAT when so many letters have been penned by desperate writers clearly describing in detail the negative aspects of VAT. Everywhere I go family and friends complain about their financial crunch resulting from VAT implementation. In the true spirit of a scientist, I call upon those authors who see VAT through their own eyes to provide a list of 25 staple items and do a comparison of pre-VAT and post-VAT prices. The results should be published in the newspapers for the public to read.
Perhaps, we can then, truthfully, put this VAT issue to bed, once and for all.
Yours faithfully,
Anand Persaud
