More jobs, disposable income available now than when PPP/C took office – VP Jagdeo
Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo said that there are more jobs now than when the PPP/C assumed office in August 2020, and that Guyanese also have more disposable income.
“If you ask me, ‘are more people working today than when we came into office?’ The answer is yes… The answer is a bold yes, significantly more.”
“Do we have greater disposable income today than in that period? The answer is yes.”
He made the comments during an interview on Friday with the National Communications Network (NCN).
The Government has also been on a campaign to present Guyana as a business-friendly destination, and announced plans to improve the ease of doing business, including by reducing the cost of power, and introducing a single window for business registration and trade.
Additionally, when it came into office, the Government had removed many burdensome taxes which were imposed by the previous administration. The Vice President said that this resulted in $40 billion in taxes being placed back into taxpayers’ pockets.
He acknowledged that because of the protraction of the pandemic, there has been a global shortage of food and supplies, which has impacted the cost of living.
“We removed the taxes from food items that we had, a majority of food items. But still, if the prices are higher and there are shortages globally, you can’t avoid the passthrough, but it bothers us.”
The flooding which occurred in 2021 had also caused setbacks due to the destruction of farms. His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has urged the public to grow food to help ease the cost of living. He intends to work with CARICOM to reduce its food import bill by growing more food in the region.
Vice President Jagdeo also responded to recent requests made by the People’s National Congress Reform – a constituent of the opposition – for certain reliefs to address the cost of living.
“I find it very strange that a party that just demitted office 18 months ago, that has sought to put taxes on every single area, increased taxes by about $40 billion more on basic food items, on medical supplies, on everything, would now have any proposal for a budget that seeks to reduce taxes.”
The Government will continue to seek remedies for the issues impacting the cost of living. Dr. Jagdeo said government will see how it can work with communities during the year on mitigating the cost of living. The new budget, when presented on Wednesday, will show the continuance of the government’s work to ensure infrastructure for future growth, the Vice President related.