…AFC says $300.7M estimates will bring relief to citizens
THE Alliance For Change (AFC) has announced its “unequivocal support” for Budget 2019 characterising it as the country’s largest and one which will bring relief and benefit to citizens.

At a press conference on Tuesday at the party’s head office, its General Secretary Marlon Williams and Executive Member Michael Leonard commended especially the areas of education, public infrastructure, public security, agriculture and telecommunications.
They noted the “heavy investment” in education to the tune of $52.2B as well as the continuation of the Hinterland Employment Youth Service (HEYS) programme for the benefit of youths in the hinterland.

Acclamations were given too to the Linden to Lethem and Parika to Bartica Road projects; the new Demerara River bridge; and allocations to the judiciary, parliamentary branches, constitutional agencies and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
Also singled out were allocations to the portfolios held by AFC members such as Public Infrastructure receiving $38.5B; Public Security receiving $35.6B and agriculture and public telecommunications together at $21B.

“In government, the AFC worked tirelessly in lobbying, preparing and making representation for a budget which is directed towards improving the lives and welfare of our Guyanese people,” Williams stated later adding:
“The AFC looks forward in 2019 to the Local Government Commission being added to the schedule of constitutional agencies. The AFC looks forward to the full and complete implementation of Budget 2019.”

Questioned whether increases in old age pension from $19,500 to $20,500; income tax threshold from $60,000 to $65,000 and public assistance from $8,000 to $9,000 were small feats, the general secretary defended the opposite.

“You have to look at the national budget in its holistic sense,” he advised. “Their objective is to generally benefit people in their natural lives. Some people are just looking at the one thing – how much money they’re physically getting in hand – not looking at the other works that have been happening,” Williams said. He also disagreed that the budget is an “elections budget” giving his take that the budget is designed for national development. “I don’t see it as an elections budget, rather I see it as just a working, functional, national budget,” he said.

Meanwhile, Leonard added: “The term ‘elections budget’ has some connotations. It means that we’re going to give you some goodies in the budget this year to make you want to vote for us. I believe that that the coalition government from 2015 has consistently increased allocations to very crucial sectors year after year. Education is a very good example [as] from 2016 to now it represents a 60 per cent increase in the allocation for that sector. The old age pension is not much but it represents a 30 or 40 per cent increase…the reality is that we can’t necessarily increase it to 500,000 in one fell swoop but consistently, steadily and surely we are seeing increases in allocations.”

Budget 2019 was announced on Monday to the tune of $300.7B, the highest the country has since experienced, showing increases in allocations to all regions and no new taxes among many other provisions.