TAXING TO KILL

When the SLP was the government, a gallon of gas was $8.50; a cylinder of cooking gas was $28.50 and nobody paid vehicle licences. It was included in the price of gas.

Today, government collects $3.50 on every gallon of gas which cost over $15 – and even when the price of oil plummeted last week, there has been no change in the price of a gallon of gas. On top of it we now have to pay $94.50 every time we travel. The only persons who don’t pay that tax are government officials. So they don’t feel it.

Recently a couple and their two kids visited St. Lucia for a week; they also had to spend two days in Trinidad. They paid an extra of almost $800 in Taxes in less than 1 week. The same applies to any St. Lucian who has to travel to Barbados for a Visa; to the US and UK on a holiday; to Martinique to visit or work. The saddest part is everybody – including little kids – must pay the tax. The only persons who do not pay that tax are the government Ministers.

There’s a theory doing the rounds about the premature imposition of that Airport Development Tax. Some disclosures suggest that the taxes collected now do not go into a lockbox – as suggested by the Minister for Tourism; but into the Flambeau “war chest” for their campaign. If this is true, then this would be the worst injustice ever committed by this government against us. But it is possible and we will explain how it can be done in a subsequent feature.

When the people of St. Lucia called on the government to review the pass-through mechanism because it was squeezing us to death, Tucker was the first to stand up and say NO. He said we asked for it and we deserved it. Can you imagine someone representing a poor constituency taking that position against his own people?

Moreover, when King gave civil servants, teachers, police, nurses etc a little increase in salary, Tucker was against it; but he rented an office for $114,000 a month. He is travelling first class and not paying any travel tax. He will soon get$100,000 duty-free concessions on his vehicles.

The point is Tucker is getting richer and richer while the people of Choiseul/Saltibus are suffering as a result of huge increases in the cost of living. Tucker is living the life of a millionaire – in and out of office!  He has acquired a condo for $2 million; he is renting an office for $114,000; he has stolen millions of State funds deposited into secret accounts in certain banks under false names (perhaps, Smith or Charles) or through third parties. It is also alleged that he is hoarding millions of dollars in cash in a small vault to escape the arm of the law.

 

Lorne and the SLP have pledged to look into all unfair taxes imposed on the people of St. Lucia as soon as they get into office. Lorne will also conduct a comprehensive investigation into all unfair practices and to bring the perpetrators to justice. All those unfair taxes and unfair practices are mischief against the people of St. Lucia. They are like slow poison killing us softly.