Ramotar signals ‘no-confidence’ in Govt’s ability to manage economy

Former President Donald Ramotar has accused the David Granger-led Administration of taking an anti-nationalist position on several issues and stubbornly refusing to act in the interests of Guyanese.

Ramotar told Guyana Times International recently that the actions of the coalition Government were deliberately setting out to put the welfare of Guyanese in jeopardy.

The former Head of State recalled that A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) when they were both in Opposition voted against several major developmental projects.

Their anti-nationalism, he said, became more evident every year, as they sought to stymie projects designed to promote economic and social development in the society.

“I would be harsh to say that the positions they took were all anti-national. The position they took on Amaila; the position on the Money Laundering Bill when they voted it down hoping that Guyana would become blacklisted; and the position they took to vote against the Environmental Bill that is now costing Guyana billions of dollars,” the former President asserted.

According to him, however, today is no different, because Guyana is currently experiencing economic stagnation. “They are now destroying the management of the economy,” he said.

Ramotar recalled that while in Government, the Opposition voted twice against proposed amendments to the Environmental Bill, which in his view would have saved Guyana from paying hefty penalties.

“They are now in that position, largely because of their vindictiveness and anti-nationalist stance; their philosophy of trying to vote for something bad for this country. And now we are seeing the chickens coming home to roost in that regard,” he remarked.

While conceding that the new Administration has managed to collect more taxes, Ramotar claimed that it has done this at a time when the economy is performing badly.

“They have collected it by squeezing people by placing Value Added Tax (VAT) and other taxes on water, electricity, pensioners’ benefits removed, etc,” he lamented.

Ramotar made reference to the VAT on education policy which he believes is another anti-nationalist move, and one that has far-reaching effects on the development of Guyana.

“They want to keep us in perpetual poverty, because there is an established direct link between education and development in a country. And when a government taxes education, it shows you the nature of the government,” he added.

Ramotar, an economist, said he has no confidence in the Government’s ability to manage the economy and claimed that everything that it has managed has done poorly.

“So, we have a government which is managed only for the elite. The people at the top who are only using their State apparatus to enrich themselves by increasing their benefits and by a lavish amount of corruption that we see speeding all over this country unchecked,” he remarked.

Overtaxed

The former President also criticised Government for its move to increase taxes in several critical areas. “The economy has slowed, practically grinding to a halt. But yet these people are collecting more money by squeezing people and taxing even the donkey cart operators. They are more interested in preserving a lavish lifestyle for the elite rather than creating conditions for wealthier generations,” he explained.

Recently, Opposition Member of Parliament Nigel Dharamlall also criticised Government for “overtaxing Guyanese”, urging citizens to brace themselves for new taxes in the coming year.

The coalition Government has prided itself on the expansion of tax collection, saying it is a major contributor to revenue for Government.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan had reported that there was an increase in VAT, which totalled G$2.4 billion in February 2017. This brings tax collection to date to G$6.1 billion, which is a 5.5 per cent growth in the value of imports.