While the government’s proposed 2018 national budget is likely to be much less contentious than this year’s, there is nothing in it that could be considered a pro-poor initiative, according to accounting firm Ram and McRae
According to the firm’s detailed annual review of the budget, Focus on Guyana’s National Budget 2018, which was published in Wednesday’s Stabroek News, Finance Minister Winston Jordan focused more on tax administration than on tax reform in his budget speech.
Though the firm noted that the tax amnesty and the reduction of the sums to be lodged as a condition for a challenge against a tax ruling were among the recommendations of the Tax Reform Committee that was appointed by the Minister on APNU+AFC’s assumption to office in 2015, it stated that the present “Administration does not seem to regard income and wealth inequality as serious issues and accordingly there is nothing in the Budget that could be considered a pro-poor step.”
Specific mention was