Norton slams budget, says VAT should have been lowered

Aubrey Norton
Aubrey Norton

– promises to end lawlessness that has characterized youth

Voicing disapproval of  budget 2025, Leader of the Opposition  Aubrey Norton told the National Assembly yesterday that if elected this year the PNCR will be implementing  several measures including the lowering of VAT and $100,000 cash grants almost monthly to citizens.

Of the many plans he highlighted which saw much heckling from the government benches was developing the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, Linden to Lethem, and others with highlands, while also building out the transportation infrastructure to support the movement of people.

He also promised the implementation of a railway network linking communities with both Georgetown to the north and Lethem to the south, powered by Guyana’s own natural gas reserves.

Norton said  that the PNCR  “will revisit our youth policy since the government has none, update it, and provide our youth with a clear pathway to development, especially in reducing their contact and conflict with the law and promoting their economic, political, and social empowerment. We will structure youth development programmes to ensure we produce a society that is law-abiding and end the lawlessness that has characterized our youth over the years under this PPP regime. It is our youth that will have to be in the forefront of those changes”.

He added that more resources will be added to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), to improve its ability to offer benefits and social protection to the people of Guyana, also putting in place objective criteria for people to access social service benefits.

“People should know and be able to predict their entitlement. Mr. Speaker, as I am on NIS, the minister should tell this house how much money has accrued to NIS as a result of the 60,000 jobs you claim to have created. If you created those jobs, then NIS should have reflected an increase.

He stated that Value Added Tax (VAT) should’ve been reduced to 10 or 12 percent.

“If this government genuinely wants to help the people of Guyana with the high cost of living crisis, it could have reduced VAT to 10% or 12%. Had it reduced it to 10% or 12%, it would have put $4 billion or $17 billion directly in the pocket of the Guyanese, which is far larger than the $9 billion in the budget for direct cost of living mitigation. Mr. Speaker, every person that goes to the shop pays VAT, on virtually everything and therefore, the best way to give them back money is to reduce it. This will benefit and impact positively the average Guyanese in a direct way, he stated urging the finance minister to “bring it down to either 12% or 10%. The people of Guyana will be grateful”, he said.

He promised to adjust VAT if elected.

Norton  stated that the current cash grant of $100,000 being distributed by the government as presently structured cannot take people out of poverty, however if elected, their cash transfer policies and programmes will be aimed at ensuring all Guyanese receive a livable income and to increase their ability to plan, purchase, save and invest.