Proper policies, not cash grants will fight poverty – PNCR Leader

Last Updated on Friday, 2 August 2024, 20:47 by Writer

Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton is recommending that Guyanese earning less than estimated GY$200,000 (estimated US$938) monthly should not pay income tax and he promised that if elected next year policies would be put in place to combat poverty rather than merely delivering cash grants.

He said “with all the money they got” people earning less than GY$200,000 should not pay income tax. “That should end. Our economy is doing well but they cannot give resources to the people because they does steal it,” he said late Wednesday night at the Black is Beautiful concert on Buxton Line Top to usher in Emancipation Day which was observed on Thursday.

Vowing that the opposition would “vote them out”, in reference to the incumbent People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC), he said the next task would include a proper plan to ensure Afro-Guyanese are financially literate to run small businesses progressively. “Let us have no doubt in our mind. We shall not be going back into government solely to focus on giving our people jobs. We will give you jobs but the reality is we need an entrepreneurial class to ensure that we’re in power and stronger and cannot be made footballs,” he said.

He promised that should the opposition win the 2025 elections, the new government would embark on a “people-centered development strategy” by putting Guyana’s resources in the hands of Guyanese. While the PNCR Leader echoed the reiterated call by Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader, Nigel Hughes that Guyanese should receive cash grants, he said the distribution of wealth by that means would not reduce poverty. “Cash grants won’t take you out of poverty. Cash grants won’t allow you to fight the high cost of living. What are needed are proper government policies and we’re saying to you that we’ll put the policies in place to take our people out of poverty,” he said.

In that regard, he promised that government would provide grants and funding for small business owners to those who are entitled and government would “account” for the disbursements.

Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Executive Member, Professor Hinds added that if the opposition gets into office, government would restore the subsidy to International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G), and increase teachers salaries in keeping with the demands by the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) for 39.5 percent for 2024, and an additional 30 percent for 2025 and 2026.

The PPPC administration has withdrawn the IDPADA-G subsidy, saying that the monies were not benefitting ordinary Guyanese, but that organisation has said that it is not a grant-making entity. The Ministry of Education’s counter-proposed 7% salary increase for teachers for 2024, another 6% increase for 2025 and another 6% increase for 2026 have been publicly rejected by the union.