A REQUEST by opposition parliamentarians for an extension of time before the National Assembly begins consideration of estimates for the 2013 National Budget came as a surprise to President Donald Ramotar who spoke of the new development in a live televised interview at Little Rock Television Station in Berbice Saturday evening.

Ample time has been given for parliamentarians to peruse and critique the 2013 financial plan.
Debate on the national budget started after it was presented by Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh on March 25 and is scheduled to culminate on April 9, making way for the consideration of the estimates.
In this phase, approval or rejection of budgetary allocations provided for this year to key sectors, agencies, and projects hinges on a one-seat combined majority vote that the two opposition parties (A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change) have.
That advantage was used to cut $21B from last year’s budget and is likely to be repeated even though a court ruling had deemed the move unconstitutional.
President Ramotar during last evening’s television interview said it would be a “great pity” if the budget is not passed.
“We have brought our country to a level of development where we can really launch it forward… and anything that is done to affect that growth in the country will throw us back, and will slow down the development of our society,” President Ramotar said.
The criticisms that the opposition parliamentarians have advanced on the budget when the debate began followed the usual rhetoric, but didn’t impress President Ramotar as being constructive.
“I haven’t been seeing anything during the debate to make me very optimistic that they are ready to want to see our country move forward. At this point in time, I think they are still trapped in their narrow political agenda,” President Ramotar said.
Reactions from civil society were quite the opposite of the opposition’s when stakeholders met President Ramotar for discussions on the 2013 National Budget which an overwhelming majority described as all encompassing.
PSC gives thumbs up
The Private Sector Commission (PSC) which gave thumbs up to this year’s budget joined other stakeholders in calling for good sense to prevail in the Parliament since the entire nation stands to be impacted by decisions made.
This year’s $208.8B budget covers, among other things, economic diversification and growth, expanded physical infrastructure, high- quality social services, and environmental responsibility and sustainability.
Among the highlights are  the increase in old age pensions by 25 % to $12,500, lowering of personal income tax, and personal income tax relief for persons who are required to pay interest on mortgages of up to $30M, sugar industry support of $1B, Guyana Power and Light subsidy and capitalisation –  $5.8B, a further $5.4 B for upgrade, NIS contribution rate to be increased by 1% – government to meet cost for earners below $50,000, reduction in property tax- small businesses up to $10M will pay none, and reduction in individual property taxes. (GINA)
Berbice business community sees budget measures as excellent initiatives
– relying on gov’t for continued enabling environment
The level of transformation that has been taking place in Berbice as a result of the enabling business environment facilitated by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration was acknowledged by the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association as it honoured those who have made sterling contributions to the county over the years.
Low interest rates on small business loans have been encouraging for budding Berbice entrepreneurs; technical and vocational training has been building the human resource capacity for certain skills in demand while the provisions in this year’s national budget for pensioners, first-time home owners and tax payers were regarded as excellent initiatives.
Region 6 Chairman David Armogan who attended the award ceremony said politics and business are interdependent since government’s investment in infrastructure facilitates the smooth flow of business in the country.
Among them is cheap and reliable electricity which President Donald Ramotar told the chamber will be facilitated through the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, and the public private partnership that enabled construction of the Berbice River Bridge.
As the closest point to neighbouring Suriname and major oil explorations offshore, Berbicians are looking forward to the announcement of a discovery, and the improvement of trade relations with plans to bridge the Corentyne River.
President Ramotar who was a special invitee at the annual dinner and award ceremony last evening in Albion, told executives of the chamber and its affiliate, the Association of Regional Chambers of Commerce, that the bridging of the Corentyne River is awaiting the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB’s) feasibility study.
In August last year Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and her Surinamese counterpart Mr. Winston Lackin had announced the move to write the IDB for financing of the feasibility study for the bridge and advertising for contractors.
The two foreign ministers had met following a prior engagement that year between President Ramotar and Surinamese President Desi Bouterse in Suriname to discuss the importance of constructing the bridge across the Corentyne River, to, among other things, enhance economic relations between the two countries.
The Berbice Chamber’s eagerness about the new initiative is based on the same potential benefits, but also more importantly its concern about border smuggling which it said has been undermining trade arrangements.
The phenomenon has again vindicated President Ramotar’s case against corrupt practices which he said should be “nipped in the bud” with the help of the business community in particular.
Also with the demands for quality and other benchmarks in trade relations, the call was made for the adoption of a traceability system and the installation of the requisite technology to support such a system in Guyana.
The call made by the Private Sector Commission’s Chairman Ron Webster comes after last month’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Guyana and Haiti on the utilisation of the Haitian National Traceability System in Guyana.
The system articulated by Haitian President Michel Martelly will allow Guyana’s agricultural sector to trace produce to its origin, guarantee the quality and standard of agricultural produce for export by generating bar codes, defined benchmarks for processing and packaging of agricultural products, as well as assist in the reliable national mapping on the production potential and the results of the harvest.
Sugar has been one of Guyana’s major export commodities, but with its performance over the past few years not being what was expected, even with investment in the Skeldon Sugar Factory, this has persuaded the move to mechanisation, President Ramotar told members of the Berbice Chamber.