Premier Ellis Lorenzo Webster.
ANGUILLA--Confronting residents’ vocal unrest and dismay with the upcoming July 1 implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) and increasing costs, Premier Ellis Lorenzo Webster addressed the island on Thursday evening, June 23, one day after returning from an overseas conference.
Webster announced the release of a financial package to address and mitigate the financial hurt caused by continued inflation and the implementation of GST. It includes an EC $6 million direct assistance programme for all domestic consumers of electricity, a $500 food voucher for all citizens over the age of 70, removal of the Interim Goods Tax (IGT) and Goods and Service Tax (GST) from all fuel imports for a year, and removal of all duties and taxes from essential food items, which have already been identified to the public.
The premier stressed that he and his government have worked with the business community to arrive at concessions, which would lessen the financial impact of the adoption of the GST. He said, “We must take guidance from the lessons of the past if we are to successfully navigate the opportunities and challenges that we face.”
He said he and his team would meet with the retail business sector today, Friday, June 24. He ended his address saying, “My cabinet and I took an oath to deliver a ‘Re-imagine Anguilla’. We are committed to birth forth the possibilities that this great nation possesses. Anguilla will continue to rise as we do our part to lift each other up.”
