Parliament to meet Wednesday on CWC legislation
Guyana Chronicle
January 28, 2007
PEOPLE’S National Congress Reform (PNCR) leader Mr. Robert Corbin has agreed to the convening of Parliament on Wednesday to facilitate the passage of legislation related to Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007, his party said Friday.
The decision was taken when Corbin met President Bharrat Jagdeo Thursday, the party said.
A release from the main opposition party said Corbin was accompanied by its Chairman, Mr. Winston Murray and the implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) was also discussed.
After being briefed by the President on Guyana’s preparations for CWC 2007, Corbin agreed to the convening of Parliament on Wednesday to facilitate the passage of legislation related to CWC 2007 to ensure that Guyana fulfils its commitments with other CARICOM countries, the PNCR reported.
Discussions were also held on VAT, particularly in relation to those items which the PNCR had insisted ought to be zero-rated.
&It should be recalled that the PNCR had argued both in and out of Parliament that several items which were essential to the basket of goods used by the working poor should be zero-rated. Among those items are chicken, beef, margarine, parboiled rice, school uniform, tooth paste, soap, matches,” the party said.
Based on his discussions with President Jagdeo, Corbin said he was satisfied that most of these items will be included on the list to be published by the government.
The PNCR said its leader also told the President that since workers had already suffered hardship for the month of January, “as a result of the drastic rise in the cost of living from the botched implementation of VAT”, the government should still consider his proposal made on Tuesday last for a payout of one month’s salary to all public servants as a cost of living allowance.
Representation was made for the income tax threshold to be raised or an urgent review of the income tax system to give relief to the burden placed on the working poor, and the increase in wages and salaries for public servants for 2007 to take into account the effects of the implementation of VAT, it said.