The incompetent Gaston Browne-led ABLP administration has failed to improve our lives. Cost of living is out of control. Unemployment is sky-high. Failed projects and missed opportunities are the order of the day. And water is still not regularly available in our pipes. It is a sad reality that those who have the least, are hit the hardest.
To add insult to injury, this wicked Government refuses to provide meaningful relief to the people, after collecting over $11 billion in revenue, and borrowing $2.5 billion over 8 years. This has left us all asking “where de money garn?”
Increase in cost of living is not just a challenge for today, but for the future also. Rising prices, with stagnant wages, undermine our standard of living. It forces persons to dip into limited savings, to postpone retirement (if possible) and put off making big life decisions like getting married, building a home, or mortgaging a family home to pay for a child’s education.
It’s time for a change.
The new UPP Government will bring and end to the neglect and suffering of the citizens and residents of Antigua and Barbuda.
In office, UPP will:
- Immediately implement measures to curb the rapidly rising cost of living including the reduction of customs duty on certain food items and on building materials. We will completely remove customs duty on essential foods like ling fish, corned beef, sardines, salt beef, pig mouth, pig foot, breakfast cereals, oats, cooking oil and others.
- Raise the Minimum Wage to a National Living Wage and raise Government wages to a reasonable level, in line with inflation.
- Attract real investments which create real jobs by empowering the Antigua Barbuda Investment Authority (ABIA) to create a fair and investment friendly environment.
- Generate new jobs by supporting small businesses through free training, government guaranteed loans and small business grants.
- Settle most of the debts to small businesses and government workers within 1 year.
- Repeal the Unincorporated Business Tax and “Fete Tax”.
- End the late payments of Social Security benefits and immediately inject $20 million to stabilize the scheme. The UPP Government will make all required bond payments to keep Social Security on a solid long term footing.
- Expand access to the People’s Benefit social protection programme and improve all social programmes.
- Give APUA the funding and support required to permanently end the water crisis, and apply technological solutions to improve APUAs product quality, customer service and response time in addressing faults.
In addition, the UPP “People First” Government will always respect your rights and freedom of choice.
The UPP will put the money where the pain is. That is, with families, businesses, students, the elderly and all groups who are being crushed by the increase in cost of living.
