Dear Editor,

SEASON’s greetings to one and all!

Today I went to uplift my old age pension: $18,200 [eighteen thousand two hundred dollars]. After putting aside my tithes, my light bill was paid, my phone bill was covered, and tomorrow my water bill will be taken care of. Gas is in my tank, I went to market to purchase three items (onions, garlic and potatoes] and that’s it. It’s done!

When I say done, I mean done to the last dollar. Yes, my pension could only do so much, and no more; as I had to leave the cheese alone.

I consider myself a modest [contented] person, who is not very extravagant.
I am now a great-grandfather, and I would have loved to leave a token from my pension for my great-grandson, who is nine [9] months old. But this was not to be.

All things being equal, I also consider myself very fortunate, being a senior pastor within the local church. It means that, at the end of every month, I receive an honorarium to which I am entitled, and I am thankful for it. Other tokens may come my way within the week or month, and I
would give my God and Lord, Jesus Christ, all the praise for His favour over my life.

I suppose some people may analyze my income to determine how I live; but before you do so, let it be known that I live and exist by the grace of Almighty God, who is faithful and just.

Editor, the personal information I have revealed of myself is sufficient to convince your readers that this writer is well off, and that may not be far from the truth. Nevertheless, there is a deeper truth which I would like to express here and now, not for my own gratification or benefit, but for those silent sufferers, pensive pensioners and gullible Guyanese.

It must be know that I am not a specialist or expert at analyzing or surveying national budgets, but being a conscientious and concerned Guyanese in my seventies, and being exposed to various dynamics of economics and planning, I pride myself in knowing enough to make a judgment on same.

All over this dear land of ours, there is a cry that is similar to the cry of the Hebrew slaves in the days of the Pharaohs and the time of Moses. The people were oppressed and were subjected to hardships that sought to decimate their numbers. Then again, more pronounced, my mind goes to the time of Jesus’s coming within the Roman Empire [time of the Caesars] a new tax system was introduced that was suppress and offensive. [Time and space would not allow me to dwell long on this system of taxation].

Here, in the 21st century, we as Guyanese are faced with a budget (2017) that will see more people on the bread line. Business will certainly be on the decline, families will be decimated, hardships will increase, homes will be in want, students will find it difficult to pursue their studies, income and salaries will be disproportionate, the lower class of wage earners will never get an opportunity to go on a holiday, and general discontent will prevail over the nation.

Editor, there is undoubtedly in the air a feeling that is permeating the regions that this budget is not good for the average Guyanese, especially the self-employed and middle income earners. I am certain that the vibes I am having are a foreboding/premonition of a daunting and discouraging period in the history of Guyanese taxation that has not been since the early days of the eighties here in the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.

The logistical dynamics of this budget do not indicate/forecast a good life for us Guyanese. Therefore, I use my authority as an Apostle of Christ Jesus to beseech civil society, the business community, religious bodies, the man in the street, the street vendors, mothers and fathers, teachers and nurses, learned professionals, pensioners, right-thinking Guyanese, the hungry and dispossessed, the diaspora, and more importantly the Parliament of Guyana, to raise their voices wherever they are and let soundness and balance be sought and delivered to this national budget.

If you don’t, you will have to ask yourself this pertinent question: Is the 2017 Budget malignant? If it is, then you must give the next generation of Guyanese the reason why you allowed it to pass. And may God help Guyanese out of the clutches of the Pharaohs and the stronghold of the Caesars.

Further, I implore the Honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Winston Jordon, to reconsider reversing some of the measures laid out in this particular budget.

And finally, if my pension were rounded, I would be able to put some cheese and chicken on the table.

Thank you!!
Yours sincerely,
APOSTLE VANRICK BERESFORD
[Senior Pastor/Author]