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Last Wednesday, Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, presented Budget 2022 to the National Assembly.
Apart of the measures rolled out for 2022, the Government of Guyana will increase the payment of thePublic Assistance Programme from $12,000 to 14,0000; Old Age Pension will increase from $25,000 to $28,000 per month, and the monthly income tax threshold will increase from $65,000 to $75,000 monthly.
Additionally, the school uniform grant will increase from to $4000 to $5,000 per child, while the ‘Because We Care Cash Grant’ will increase from $15,000 to $25,000 per child.
The above measures, among others, have caught the attention of Guyana’s citizens and have stirred up mixed views and feelings among the nation’s people. This week the Village Voice News took the streets of Georgetown to get the views of Guyanese on Budget 2022.
Below is what they had to say.
Samantha Bourne, 46, Market Vendor
I’m comfortable with the budget. I feel good about it especially about the $30,000 per school child. That is a good initiative. When it comes to the increase in public assistance and pension I think it is suitable. The $600,000 in dialysis treatment per patient is a big man because most times people do not have the money every week to pay for such an important procedure so that is something very good that they did.
Trevor Henry, 57, Queenstown Resident
Taking the pension from $25,000 to $28,000 is not bad because they only increased it last year so another increase is not too bad. If they could increase it yearly it would be good for the old people. The $30,000 per pupil is not bad but they can also keep increasing it. All in all the little that I have heard about the budget it is okay.
Dennis Bandhan,63
It is a fair budget, it is good for the nation and the development of this country. I am impressed with everything happening in every sector especially the increase of the monthly income tax threshold from $65,000 to $75,000.
James Bernard, 75, Pensioner
I am not satisfied with the old age pension; it should have been increased to $30,000. They (th government) campaign in their manifest and said they will give $5000 increase and they put $3000 increase only. What GUYSUCO doing with $6B? What profit are we getting from GUYSUCO?
Dennis Dalrymale,61, Barber
What I am not satisfied with is the money that they are giving pensioners. I am not that age as yet but what I am saying is that I would like if they can bring down the age of pensioners from 65 to 60 years old, people would feel so pleased if they can do that. The increased public assistance by $2000 only, come on, this country needs to do better than that. When we aint had oil, this country was not like this. Now we get oil which is bringing in money and people crying still.
Henry Fordyce, 62
I think that the public servants them deserve more than that $10,000 increase of the monthly income tax threshold because we have become an oil producing country now so why is it that we just below a million people and we have to be going through this kind of stuff? I do not think that is right. Public servants are hardworking people so the government should do more for public servants. When it comes to old age pension, that should have been increase to $40,000 because those people would have worked long and hard whether in the private sector of the private sector. The parents should be getting more than $30,000 per child because that is not enough money. This is now an oil producing nation, revenue is being created and the government should spend that on the nation’s people. I am dissatisfied with that budget.
Mohammed Khan, 54, Fish Vendor
The Fish vendors dem are under pressure, we aint getting nothing. They should look into the fish vendors them because vendors have bills to pay. Is nearly six months I aint doing nothing because I usually purchase from the fishery and they have no shrimps up to now so more emphasis need to be place on the fishery
