Dear Editor,
Why has the committee on tax reform set up by the President not met and deliberated on the much vexed question of the inequity of our tax system yet? Why have they not recommended tax reform measures? The PPP always claims that it is the political party of the working class but in over a decade they have failed to implement a fairer tax regime; rather with the introduction of the VAT, the poor and the working class were strangled. So much for their political rhetoric.
Any primary school child who observes the attempts of their mother to survive under this government can understand the importance of changing our tax system to make it fairer. Only the members of the government are oblivious to the sufferings of the people. Why can’t the PPP introduce a Taj Mahal tax on homes worth over $20 million? It is both practical and widely supported by public opinion. It addresses the gross unfairness whereby a government critic with a regular house is called upon by the GRA to pay property tax but most of the Taj Mahals in Guyana are not taxed. Where is the fairness? We call on the AFC and APNU to champion this initiative in the name of the poor and the working class.
It is no secret that the PPP would not back a Taj Mahal tax since many of them are now owners of Taj Mahals. But there is no reason for the majority opposition not to continue to press them to institute this tax, reform the corporation tax and PAYE regime to put more resources into the pocket of the engine of growth – the private sector and the working class, so the first-mentioned can take more risks and expand our economy.
From our preliminary discussion with a member of the PPP/C cabinet, that party does not have an appetite for a Taj Mahal tax. The people must pass judgment on the PPP for their lethargy in relation to tax reform in favour of the ‘have-nots.’
The PPP is on record of having the most oppressive tax regimen, even worse than the tax regimen of the PNC regime. It is the PPP which reaped billions in VAT in 2012. This is a new tax for the mothers of Guyana that they did not pay in the past, and thus many are expecting some tax relief from this PPP/C government.
The majority opposition, especially the AFC, is expected to push the PPP/C to deliver a fairer society enabling everyone, especially the mothers of Guyana and the poor and the working class, to get a better deal.
Yours faithfully,
Asquith Rose
Harish S Singh
