Vision Guyana Chairman Peter Ramsaroop has launched a campaign for a tax deduction for working-class families, saying it would ease the tax burden and stimulate the economy.
The initiative, which is being promoted under a “People’s Partnership” banner, is being organized by Ramsaroop and others, like ACDA’s Eric Phillips, privately.
In a statement on the initiative, Ramsaroop noted that despite a public lobby over the years for a higher tax threshold and a reduction in the Value Added Taxes, the government has continued to implement an “unfair” tax system. “We are calling for an immediate increase in tax threshold for families. The government must stop playing to the wealthy, since only a chosen few are benefiting from our taxpayers monies, it is time we all benefit especially those workers with families,” he argued.
He said the People’s Partnership has begun a campaign to distribute flyers across the country in order to educate the population on the “unfair practice by the government” and emphasized that the issue must be addressed at the new session of parliament. The flyers urge a higher tax deduction for working families, while pointing out that there are no tax credits for them.
Ramsaroop has started to lobby parliamentarians to support the initiative, which he explained is an attempt to weld a partnership between citizens and politicians on “real issues.” He told Stabroek News he had already approached opposition MPs and would also approach the government MPs for support. “The whole issue is that the parliament needs to start focusing on people,” he said, while adding that the legislative agenda needs to be informed by the needs of the people rather than a ‘top-down’ approach.
According to him, the lobby for the reduction was informed by a cross-country survey on issues that affect people. He added that ultimately the tax system needs to be reviewed and overhauled but said that implementing a deduction for working-class families would bring needed relief to the over-taxed while resulting in a re-investment in the economy with the greater spending power that would be created.
He said that the ‘Partnership’ is not a political party but a lobby movement to get the people’s representatives to respond to their needs directly. Phillips said that there are other issues that also need to be tackled, citing illiteracy and school fees as challenges that need to be addressed. “We’ve got to get back to the real issues,” Phillips said, adding that there is a need for people-oriented politicians.
