The customary private sector responses to government annual budget proposals have again reflected a mix of praise and criticism with the latter, in the instances of both the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA) and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) taking precedence over the former.
In a short statement seen by this newspaper on Wednesday afternoon the GMSA said that while the government’s 2018 budget proposals took on board several of its recommendations it has not provided a menu of measures to stimulate and expand the manufacturing sector.
The GMSA was hopeful that proposed measures to address critical areas such as taxation, access to finance, and energy would have been considered. These could have provided a much needed catalyst for the manufacturing sector to achieve the projected 2.4 percent growth.