News

On Thursday January 28, 2016, the police say they responded to a report of an alleged armed robbery that was committed on the driver and porter of a business company involved in the sale of confectionery and snack foods at about 1840h.

-$9B proposed for GuySuCo With an ambitious public infrastructure programme as the centrepiece, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan yesterday unveiled a $230 billion budget which also includes a $9 billion injection for the beleaguered sugar corporation, $2.5 billion for the state power company as well as a pledge to create 3,000 jobs at Lethem and Belvedere.

Guyana’s economy is projected to expand by 4.4% this year, following growth of 3% last year and even as Value Added Tax (VAT) collections dropped for the first time since its implementation in 2007.

Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday blasted government’s proposed $230B national budget, saying that it offered negligible tax relief for the average person and that the planned banning of used tyres and other measures will hit the poor.

Rickford Vieira has been fired from the post of Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) but he says he wishes the government no ill will and hopes it gives the agency the support it needs to become modernised and autonomous.

The Guyana Police Force yesterday issued a wanted bulletin for two men wanted in connection with the robbery of the Bank of Baroda branch at Mon Repos, just two days after three suspects were charged.

After being on the run for over one month, during which time he travelled to Trinidad and Tobago, Philemon Budhoo, called “Kevin,” was yesterday charged with the murder of Corentyne money changer Mohamed Fizal Mahmood Baksh.

Daymeion Millington, one of the five men charged in the brutal robbery of Justice Nicola Pierre and her family, yesterday accused a police witness of torturing him in order to get a signed confession.

The government will be moving to amend the tax laws to ensure greater compliance, particularly among the self-employed, from whom revenue collections continue to lag.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan yesterday announced plans to hike old age pensions by $1,200 and increase public assistance by $800 as part of a raft of measures to support the elderly.

A taste for hard liquor will soon cost a few dollars more as government yesterday said it plans to adjust the system used to determine the tax on alcoholic beverages.

To support its efforts at ‘greening’ the economy and protecting the environment, government yesterday announced plans to scale back the excise tax on vehicles that are under four years old, while restricting importation of used and re-conditioned vehicles under eight years old and banning importation of used tyres altogether.

Delinquent businesses and employers owe $1.3 billion to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and the entity hopes to recover the sum this year even as government intends to examine options for repayment of $5.24 billion owed to the Scheme by failed insurance company Clico.

Sugar production this year is targeted to grow by 4.8 percent to 242,287 metric tonnes while rice production is forecast to drop.

The gold production target this year has been set at 550,000 ounces, a 22 percent increase over last year’s declaration of 451,490 ounces.

As part of government’s measures to improve workers’ income, the income tax threshold will be raised from $50,000 per month to $55,000 per month, Finance Minister Winston Jordan announced yesterday.

The proposed 2016 budget allocation for the education sector is heavily focused on improving the quality of education in Guyana’s hinterland region.

Guyana’s health sector has been allocated $28 billion in this year’s budget, an increase of nearly $6 billion from last year.

The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has been approved funding to source much needed drugs.

A total of $24.6 billion has been proposed in this year’s budget for the security sector, according to Minister of Finance Winston Jordan, who says emphasis will be placed on rebuilding public trust.