The Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the governing PPP/C’s 2021 $383.1 billion budget.
According to a press release yesterday, the chamber cited no new taxes, the all-weather road at No. 58 to Canje, a new road to No. 63 beach, more online services at GRA and the $15,000 cash grant per school child as laudable measures that will “incentivize the private sector, motivate the general populace and bring relief to the ordinary man.”
The chamber also noted the reduction of water tariffs, increased pensions and public assistance and the removal of VAT on data for residential use as positive features. It also cited zero rating of construction materials, the proposed increase of the loan ceiling of the New Building Society, and the removal of VAT on some basic food items as helpful to the ordinary man and bringing an ease to the hardships faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
GuySuCo, a major pillar for Berbice, the release goes on to say, will continue to recapitalize and rationalize to make the operations profitable and provide employment to thousands of people directly, and many more indirectly. The release said that the chamber would have liked to see an increase in the income tax threshold, but as a whole agreed that this kind of budget of reducing the tax burden on the population and incentivizing key productive areas like forestry, the gold mining and other productive sectors, will definitely move Guyana forward.
The chamber posited that budget 2021 was, in its view, the key difference between this government and the last one.
