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Opposition Leader Godwin Friday in Kingstown on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022.
Opposition Leader Godwin Friday in Kingstown on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022.
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Opposition Leader Godwin Friday says Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves should disclose his counter-proposals to help Vincentians cope with the rising cost of living.

“Well let him come up with better ones. What is the one you’re gonna do? Add more taxes to people? Add more to the Customs Service Charge?” Friday told iWitness News, on Thursday, two days after Gonsalves rubbished his proposals.

In a national address on Aug. 11, Friday made suggestions to help Vincentians cope with the rising cost of living.

He urged the government to reduce VAT from 16% to 13% and ensure that the savings are passed on to ordinary consumers.

The opposition leader said that the government should also increase support for lower income families by expanding existing support programmes and ensure that the support is distributed based on need and not by political favour.

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Friday said that the government should cap the fuel surcharge on electricity, and, among other things, provide import duty concessions for the transportation industry.

However, at a press conference last Tuesday, the prime minister dismissed the opposition leader’s proposals, saying that they would cost the government EC$120 million annually, enough to pay public sector wages for four months.

On Thursday, at the protest by teachers dismissed over the vaccine mandate, iWitness News asked the opposition leader to comment on the prime minister’s response to his proposal.

“Right now what people are feeling is pain and pressure and all they hear from government is about their finances? How much this going cost them, how much that going cost them. Well, how much does it cost people when they go to the grocery store every day?” Friday said.

“He (Gonsalves) don’t go and buy groceries so you don’t see the prices going up. That is what they need to respond to. If he has a better plan, bring it forward. I will support a better plan. But right now the proposals that I have made are practical, they can be implemented now and they will bring relief to everybody right now

“Not somewhere you pick and choose and decide who to favour and who not to favour. If you reduce VAT from 16 to 13% now, everybody benefits. If you put a cap on the fuel surcharge, everybody benefits. Let him come up with better policies then. If he has more generous policies that are going to help the people in this country, I will support them.”

3 replies on “PM should offer better counter-proposals, if he has any — Opposition Leader”

  1. Urlan Alexander says:

    Ralph says the government will lose $120 million in revenue. Who gains that money? It’s seems like the government is on a profiit making mission and is doing so at the people’s peril. Where does it say that a responsibility of government is to make profit while people suffer?

  2. That’s right, Dr. Friday, the wutliss kunumunu run out of lies to tell. He can’t sink any lower. The youth fed up and desperate under this no solution government. Poor people need a break. If you listen to Gonsalves and he minions all you will hear is lies and deception. They going around pretending everything is nice. Medical ganja splif fo $15,00. Tieone money fo spec the elecshan coffers. Multimillion dollar projects ect yet children haffo travel from Fancy to Kingstown to get proper schooling. If yo go MCMH for a sprain finger yo might end up dead. Cops dem corrupt to the hilt. And on and on. Time fo some fresh air. Wait just now Brer Uggy will jump up and say the economy improve for everybody. Wutliss good fo nothin lyards.

  3. The people of svg need to wake up; you don’t see y’all country running like a business transaction and you need to wake up out of the metric that your living under and don’t get brain wash open up your eyes and see what’s in front of you people and person will never change after showing you their true colours. Late Bob Marley sing a lot of music to open our eyes up about people and person of greed. What prime minister do you know in any part of the world is using the country as a legacy to leave it behind for his son and not one in his party is eligible to lead the country into the next Century if y’all believe so then the country is going to be stagnant and no growth for the younger generation and a lot of people are going to migrate overseas. Because svg isn’t giving then hope to be leaders and also I believe Mr. Ceaser and other who are given the chance can let svg shine again and give the people up and trust in their government again and the politicians need to stop giving the people of svg lip service and try to change things around for the better and not worse.

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