Submitted by People’s Democratic Congress (PDC)

Thursday, 25 November, 2010, marked the beginning of the  People’s Democratic Congress’s No-Taxation Campaign in Barbados.

This No-Taxation Campaign has been commenced to coincide with the intense anger and frustration by thousands of Barbadians at the draconian increases in TAXATION by DLP Minister of Finance, Mr. Chris Sinckler, in the 2010 Budgetary Proposals, that were delivered in the House of Assembly, on Monday, 22 November, 2010.

These increases in taxation, along with an increase in bus fares, have come at a time when the so-called Barbados economy has achieved  its third straight year of political economic  recession, with unemployment on the increase, the cost of living/doing business continuing to go through the roof, the foreign reserves on the decline,  the fiscal deficit of government reaching very unmanageable proportions, and the gross government debt becoming of greater albatrossic dimensions.

In the face of these great and recurrent crises in the fiscal affairs of government, and in the affairs of the material and production affairs of this island, we have collected, again, enough evidence that TAXATION is directly involved in these destructive crises.

In the case of disarray in the fiscal affairs of government wherefore the size of the government  has become far too big and unwieldy, and the cost of the operations and debt of government having become unsustainable, muchly beyond the means available to the government to support these undesirable happenings,  it is exceedingly clear that this wicked evil unproductive TAXATION system is the major source of these very grievous problems that are found within a thoroughly unproductive government sector.

And, in the case of deepening malaise in material  production and distribution affairs of the wider country, whereupon the productive and investment sectors are operating far below their optimum capacity and efficiency, and are incurring substantial financial losses at this stage, it is very obvious that this said anti-masses, anti middle classes, anti-developmentalist TAXATION SYSTEM is the major cause of these horrible imbalances in the non-financial private sectors of this country, many of whom themselves are supposed to be the major engines of growth in the productive affairs of the country.

So, constantly armed with the wisdom and understanding that this wicked evil TAXATION system would have brought, and will forever continue to bring, once allowed to remain in existence, utmost despair, devastation and hopelessness to the personal and productive sectors of this country – we have relentlessly been promulgating and will continue to promulgate on here – BU – and elsewhere, that in order for Barbadians to help build a better and brighter Barbados, TAXATION has to be ABOLISHED in this country, and furthermore that a future PDC Government will have as it utmost priority the ABOLITION of TAXATION in this country, and the putting in its place, a fair rational system for the government’s coming by income and being able to fairly access the money of the people  – whereby the government shall fairly EARN more of its revenue, and shall make fair use of unused underused money with the core financial system – without violating the income and property rights of other entities, and stealing the income of those said entities.

So, we in the PDC  have reached the point now whereby we strongly believe our NO-TAXATION policy positions must be greater embedded into the minds of the populace in Barbados, within the context of our using a more activist, more aggressive approach to get the entire populace in the country  better understand these particular positions, and more so to interface with them, and to listen to their relevant views and get their feedback on these positions.

So, what is better than to start with the initial footprints of a soon to be established National No-TAXATION Campaign, that will have as its  ultimate fundamental purpose the ABOLITION of TAXATION? and better too than to start at a time like now when hordes of Barbadians are feeling that they have been atrociously done by this DLP government esp. with regard to the 2..5 % increase in VAT, the increase in so-called excise tax on gasoline, and increases in NIS, etc.

Surely, our people must be emancipated from the bondage of TAXATION!! Well, we have set off this campaign by holding an almost daily so-called silent, placard bearing protest in the City against these recent inhuman increases in TAXATION, in particular, and in protest against this wicked demonic  TAXATION system in this land, in general.

And, as a corollary to this protest the PDC has been testing for the extent of those anger and frustration levels perceived among the broad masses and middle classes of people – and truth be told so far such feelings are running critically high among most – and at a time well before next year when it will definitely worsen for many droves of people financially.

It is also being sensed by the PDC at this stage that most Barbadians are searching for a new model of development for themselves and the country – rather than continuing indefinitely to suffer from the harmful adverse effects of this a totally failed totally bankrupt euro-centric westernist model of development.

Incidentally, the statements on these placards do read ( on both sides of one): VAT IS THEFT, TAXES IS THEFT, THEY ARE EVIL, THEY MUST GO!!; NO NEW INVESTMENT UNTIL TAXATION IS ABOLISHED, and ( on both sides of the other): DO NOT SPEND MUCH MONEY UNTIL VAT, TAXES ARE ABOLISHED; and STOP THE GOVERNMENT FROM STEALING YOUR INCOME, NOW.

We must however state that the response so far to this very important political enterprise has been nothing short of being very overwhelming from a broad cross section of people – Barbadians and non-Barbadians alike, and over various professional religious and income backgrounds. 75% OF THOSE WHO HAVE PROPERLY READ THOSE STATEMENTS ON THE PLACARDS ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH WHAT IS BEING STATED. What has been even more telling is that the greatest forms of support for this protest are coming from the females and the youth. Very encouraging signs indeed. Individuals have already come forward pledging firm support to  and their active participation in the holding of greater form of protest in the near future.

So, shortly the PDC will be setting up a No-Taxation Campaign Committee that will comprise a reasonable number of Barbadians, and that will be in charge of managing all aspects of this campaign.  Such a committee will plan and organize for a major slogan and logo, major symbols and designs of this campaign. It will be charged also with using the best communications  survey methods information gathering techniques available in informing the masses and middle classes about  this very important campaign itself and the reasons for it.

Finally, some of the main objectives of this Campaign will be –

1. To make citizens/people in Barbados and beyond clearly understand that this campaign is of absolute great importance to them by making them aware of, and discussing with them in particular, that great possibilities that should they continue to be TAXED, the greater and more considerable will be the negative implications of doing so for them and for the country.
2. To convert many more citizens/people in Barbados from believing  or supporting the TAXATION SYSTEM, to being supporters of an alternative system of income generating or money accessing for the government, on the basis that the TAXATION SYSTEM is highly destructive of the higher social political material financial goals and aspirations of the masses and middle classes. And,
3. To help strengthen the Anti-TAXATION lobby and movement in Barbados, by joining forces inside and outside of the country, in presenting and seeking to establish the fundamentals of a NO-TAXATION Government, society and culture for Barbados.

Therefore, we in the PDC look forward to the support of each right thinking person in Barbados and beyond in the quest to see the removal once and for all of this evil repressive scourge from the political landscape of Barbados.

So long.