Submitted by Anthony Davis

“He also stressed that the controversial Municipal Solid Waste Tax would be in place for one year and then be reviewed. Government would have to seek parliamentary approval.” This statement is the focal point because VAT was supposed to be hiked to 17.5% for one year, but is still at that rate for eons without the Minister of Finance even taking a look at it!

We are cash cows and he will continue milking us. I do not believe one single word he or any other member of this Government says. Didn’t Dr. Estwick have enough “C4” to blow the lid off all the goings-on in Government? Didn’t that fizzle out like a wet starlight?

The worst thing about this tax is that the same people he is overtaxing are the ones who are paying him, and therefore his taxes. So he can afford to levy tax after tax on the people of this country. He and his buddies on the Government benches in Parliament and the Senate do not have a thing to worry about. They are home free after destroying our education, health and welfare systems.

Every day one sees more and more people picking up bottles to take to sell so that they can add a bit more to their meagre lots. Some people are so ashamed that they are going through the garbage in their neighbourhood at night in search of the said bottles – and all this Minister of Finance can do is dream up taxes.

This Municipal Waste Tax is really a waste in the true sense of the word.

Many people would have slaved and saved hard to buy a piece of the rock, and build their dream home – no matter how large or small – only for the Minister of Finance to go to sleep one night and dream up a new tax that will probably deprive them of their dream homes. This means that they would have wasted their money, and must now seek rented accommodation. They will probably have to go cap-in-hand to the Welfare Department. This in turn is a waste of money as that money could have been put to better use. By waste I mean that that is money that could have been given to someone else had the minister not imposed this unnecessary dream tax.

How was this tax arrived at?

Is it fair for one person to be paying more than three? Is it fair for a disabled person sitting in a wheel chair to be paying so much? Will Government members be also paying this tax or will the overtaxed workers be paying it for them? Which member of Government will be taking a leaf out of former PM Owen Arthur’s book in this matter? How many up-and-coming entrepreneurs will be adversely affected? Will people be paying this tax for their properties and then their businesses? Will this not deter more people from setting up business here?

You said that you looked at the system other countries used. Such countries supply the garbage containers, and the size depends on the number of persons in the household. If the pickup day is Monday you can guarantee that the truck would be there on that day every week – not like here where the truck does not come for weeks sometimes. Will you give us such a guarantee? After all, we will be paying for the service!

I would not say that your way of imposing taxes is willy-nilly. I call them your dream taxes. Every night you go to bed you dream up some new tax with which to burden our country. You and your colleagues in Government must be the only people in this country who can sleep soundly, because the rest of us – and especially those who have children to bring up – will be up all night wracking our brains to see where we can find this extra money you are demanding up front from.

Then Minister Steve Blackett has the audacity to call this a “people-centred Government”! Which people is it centred around, Mr. Blackett? The members of this Government, their families, their friends, and their ilk?

Barbados has been downgraded so often since you have been in power that it is a wonder that this “rock” is not beneath the waves. Yet for you all is well. One can take a horse to water but twenty cannot make it drink. The horse is not willing to drink this time!