By Chantalé Fletcher
PRIME Minister Dr Keith Rowley says the Cabinet has not discussed any changes to Value Added Tax (VAT).
He said, “All the conversation about being careful, beware the government is about to do this, that is not true.”
During a press conference at Whitehall on Thursday, Dr Rowley called out Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar for making false accusations and misleading the public about the government’s intention to increase VAT and other taxes.
Dr Rowley said, “What happened was the Opposition Leader got access to some working documents in the cabinet and it contained an appendix.” He explained that an appendix was something added onto a document for clarification.
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Dr Rowley continued, “In the appendix, the work of the technical people in the Ministry of Finance supporting the Ministry of Finance and the cabinet put in the appendix a whole set of information and that information was if the cabinet needed such information it was available there.
“But there was absolutely no recommendations, no discussion and certainly no decision about VAT.”
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He said, “ We have nothing to hide. If we wanted to increase the tax, we would come and tell you so and then we would do it. We are not afraid of what we are doing, that is why we are not afraid of leaks.”
Dr Rowley said, “We have not added a single new tax but we are talking about tax collection that is due efficiently.”
He called on citizens to disregard the statements made by the opposition leader, as they were simply false.
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Additionally, he stated it was the first time he heard about Presumptive Tax and Inheritance Tax in government which Persad-Bissessar said was to be brought by the government.
He said, “The people who fabricate the lies are in no position to provide the proof other than to own up to the lies they have told.”
