Dear Editor,
I am asking the Finance Minister, through this letter, to revise the ridiculous, unreasonable and unconscionable taxes on motorcars, with specific emphasis on sedans, which are family cars. These oppressive taxes were imposed on citizens by the PPP regime to tax the people of a donkey cart economy to facilitate their Cadillac lifestyles. I ask the Finance Minister and the President, to make the changes you promised not just for your benefits as you already did, but also for the ordinary citizens of this country. You can do this in the 2019 budget.
You are responsible for Guyanese being treated the way they are in the Caribbean because of your actions as a continuation of the last government. No other country in the Caribbean has this oppressive tax system for motorcars that forces its citizens to purchase only run-of-the-mill cars. The previous government, and now your government, pay lip service to Caricom integration by agreeing to a common tariff system and then adding these other extraneous taxes such as fixed excise values and taxes that amount to 300% or more of the value of the vehicles. Most Guyanese are then forced to purchase the cheapest run-of-the-mill cars like Premio, Allion and Axios because of the obnoxious taxes.
Remove the duty-free concessions from all public servants, members of parliament, foreign workers, etc. and apply a fixed tax for everyone on the CIF value of the cars, specifically sedans.
I recommend for sedans, that taxes on CIF be 45% of value for those under 1500 cc, 50% for those under 2000 cc, 55% for those under 2500 cc, and 60% for those under 3000 cc as a start, to be reviewed and lowered in another three years.
Yours faithfully,
Harrish Singh
