Dear Editor,
Recently, President Irfaan Ali announc-ed that public servants will be eligible, before year-end, for retroactive salary increases. “Let me assure you that the public servants will receive salary increases before the end of the year and it will be retroactive,” he said.
I welcome this initiative to increase public servants salary in wake of the high cost of living but I do not see much relief because every time there is an increase in public servants’ salaries the cost of goods go up on the market; this has been the case for decades. I believe the time has come for the Government to have a price control policy to manage the affordability of certain goods and services, including rent, gasoline, and food in this country. Without that increase on goods and services will go up again year end and the high cost of living will remain the same.
It must be known what the reasons were that made costs go up and will more than likely continue to go up next year. Increase in freight costs caused increase in tax and sales price. Most importers are paying as much as five million dollars to ship a container. Previous costs was around five hundred thousand based on the figures I have seen. The increase in public servants salaries are not going to bring financial relief to them since the general increase in goods will spill over into 2022. The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) does not have the capacity to monitor price increases throughout the length and breadth of this country. Therefore, public servants will only benefit from salaries increases announced by the Government if there are price controls on items on the market. We must produce more and support our local farmers and suppliers as both Presidents LFS Burnham and Cheddi Jagan had wanted for this great nation of ours.
Sincerely,
Rayvonne P. Bourne