No new taxes introduced since 2020 – Jagdeo

Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday confirmed that no new taxes were introduced since the People’s Progressive Party Civic took office in 2020.

Jagdeo is the PPP’s General Secretary. He spoke at a party press conference on Thursday.

During that engagement, Jagdeo spoke of the measures introduced by the government since 2020 to help cushion the rising cost of living. Among the myriad of measures pursued, Jagdeo said, was the removal of hundreds of taxes introduced by the APNU+AFC government in office from 2015 to 2020.

“We promised to reverse what they put in place, we did it and it cost $50 billion,” Jagdeo said, adding: “And then we fulfilled our promise of no new taxes.”

There has been the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) from water and electricity. Additionally, the government also ordered that freight charges be reduced to pre-pandemic levels. This meant that there would be an adjustment to customs duties, excise taxes, and input VAT on goods imported, resulting in lower prices for consumers.

Jagdeo said not only did the PPP fulfil its promise of reducing the onerous taxes but it also placed no increased burden on people.
“It’s a story of fulfillment and a vision,” he said.