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04th
Feburary 2010
Dr. Anthony
Speaks
Stan Bishop
 Whether
or not the Leader of the Opposition intended
that his New Year’s address coincide with
President Obama’s State of the Union address,
the former sure had much to say about the state
of our country.
In his New Year’s address released last
Wednesday, Dr. Kenny Anthony began by taking
a direct swipe at the current Stephenson King-led
administration.
“As you have seen yourselves, there are
none in office today with the capacity, credibility
and honesty to change the dangerous direction
that our country is headed,” the St. Lucia
Labour Party leader said. “So it now falls
to us, each and every patriotic son and daughter
of Saint Lucia, regardless of socio-economic,
religious or political background, to take charge
of our future.”
Describing the current situation as an “economic
hole,” Dr. Anthony said the local economy
has steadily nosedived since the current government
took office. According to him, the economy declined
“somewhere between -4% and -5% in 2009.”
Dr. Anthony also chided the central government’s
tax policies which, he added, are not commensurate
with the current standard of living conditions.
“They have reintroduced vehicle license
fees; removed the subsidy on the price of small
cylinders; increased departure tax; increased
the price of gas by adopting a mechanism which
causes unnecessary fluctuation in prices; and
significantly reduced the amount that taxpayers
can claim for house repairs,” Dr. Anthony,
who served as prime minister from 1997 to 2006,
said.
He added that government’s plan to introduce
the Value Added Tax (VAT) this April is counterproductive
since it coincides with the economy being “in
deep recession.”
“It (the economy) does not need more taxation.
It needs stimulation, not strangulation,”
the opposition leader quipped.
He believes that middle and low income earners
will be greatly affected by VAT, and quoted
two of the proposals contained in the “so-called
White Paper.”
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“Households
which consume more than 2000 gallons of water
will be required to pay VAT on the excess.
Likewise, households which consume in excess
of 180 kilowatts of electricity will have
to pay VAT on the excess. For the first time
our consumption of water and electricity will
be taxed,” Dr. Anthony explained.
Victimization and discrimination, Dr. Anthony
said, continue to be part of this administration’s
policies and called for all citizens to be
patriotic in the quest for peace and unity.
He also indicated that his party stands ready
in anticipation of the next general elections,
regardless of the time period the government
chooses to slate it for. A win for his party,
he hinted, is necessary.
“The time has come to stand up and be
counted to stop the desecration of our country.
No matter which party you support, the sad,
unvarnished truth is that the current regime
will be recorded as the worst government in
our nation’s history to date,”
he said.
Dr. Anthony also used his address to weigh
in on the January 12 earthquake measuring
7.0 on the Richter scale that killed over
111,000 people and displaced many more.
“No country in our hemisphere has endured
such unimaginable poverty, suffering, pain
and anguish as Haiti,” the release stated.
“Undoubtedly, this is a wrenching tragedy.
The tears, the pain, the anguish and the despair
of the people of Haiti must also be ours.
Hiati is part of our Caribbean family. It
is unthinkable that we embraced Haiti as a
member of the Caribbean Community and then
forsake her in this hour of need. We cannot
and must not leave Haiti to the rest of the
world.”
Discuss
Story
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