President Ali rejects opposition claims that Budget 2026 neglects citizens

President Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Thursday mounted a robust defence of his government’s proposed 2026 national budget, arguing that it delivers tangible benefits to ordinary Guyanese while accusing the political opposition of misrepresenting its contents.

In a morning message on his social media platform, President Ali framed the spending plan as a continuation of policies pursued by his governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic since returning to office in 2020. He contrasted those measures with the record of the former APNU+AFC administration, which he blamed for job losses, higher taxes and the rollback of social support programs.

“Let’s look at every single Guyanese and how successive People’s Progressive Party Civic budgets would have benefited you,” President Ali said, stating that “It is a PPP Civic budget that removed more than 200 taxes from your lives that were imposed by the APNU and AFC government.”

President Ali highlighted a series of tax reversals and reductions, including the removal of the value-added tax on electricity and water, lower water rates, and the restoration of the “Because We Care” cash grant for schoolchildren.

“It was the PPP who returned the Because We Care grant that was taken away from your children under the APNU+AFC government,” he said.

The President also highlighted job creation in the bauxite sector, particularly in Region 10, where mine closures under the previous administration led to widespread layoffs.

“We lost more than almost 800 jobs under the APNU and AFC government. We brought back almost 1,000 new jobs in bauxite,” President Ali said, adding that a shuttered call centre had also been reopened.

A central focus of President Ali’s address was his rejection of opposition claims that the 2026 budget fails to support working families.

“To say that the budget has nothing for the ordinary Guyanese is to ignore the measures that are clearly outlined in the budget speech,” he said, suggesting that critics either had not reviewed the proposals or were “deliberately misleading our nation.”

Among the initiatives highlighted were an increase in the low-income mortgage ceiling, a $7.5 billion housing and home improvement subsidy targeting vulnerable households, and reductions in the value-added tax on certain vehicles. President Ali linked those measures to rising vehicle ownership and improved living standards.

“Why do we think an entire series is completed in three months now? Because we have made it easier for the ordinary family to own a vehicle,” he said.

President Ali also underscored the fiscal cost of maintaining a zero per cent excise tax on petroleum products, which he said would exceed $100 billion, as well as billions more in mortgage support for first-time homeowners.

Expanded transfers to children were another major theme. In addition to the Because We Care grant, Ali cited a new annual transportation allowance.

“When you add that to the Because We Care grant, it’s close to $18 billion of transfer to our children,” he said.

Support for elderly citizens also featured prominently.

President Ali said increases in old-age pensions and the introduction of a transportation grant would total more than $54 billion in direct transfers, alongside investments in care homes for senior citizens.

Additional measures outlined in the budget include higher stipends for community workers, bonuses for members of the security forces, cash grants totalling $60 billion, the removal of net property tax and an increase in the income tax threshold.

“These are measures that will cost hundreds of billions of dollars,” President Ali said. “Who benefits? It is the Guyanese people.”

He concluded with a warning against what he described as the APNU-AFC opposition’s efforts to undermine national development.

“Together, we are stronger, ”he said, stating, “Your government is pleased to once again deliver a budget that will meet the aspirations and build on greater prosperity for every Guyanese.”