NEWLY-APPOINTED Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Mr. Shaik Baksh, said pensioners will receive ten cubic meters of water free of cost from January 1, 2021, in keeping with budgetary provisions.

That amount, the CEO said, is equivalent to five 400-gallon black tanks, which is sufficient to last a pensioner and partner for one month; anything over that amount will be billed, the Department of Public Information (DPI) revealed.

Those five tanks of free water are only for metered pensioners.
“We estimated that consumers were paying VAT [valued-added tax] in excess of $35 million a month, so this is a big relief for all consumers, especially the pensioners. That is why this Government saw it necessary to reinstate free water of ten cubic meters,” Mr. Baksh was quoted as saying by DPI.

Mr. Baksh also urged pensioners with outstanding water bills to go to GWI’s head office so that a system could be put in place to clear those bills since the measure was not retroactive.Pensioners had been receiving free water prior to 2015 and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had vowed to undo the APNU+AFC taxes on the utility when it returned to office.

This year’s budget saw the removal of VAT from water and electricity and an increase in old age pension from$20,500 to $25,000, which also takes effect from January 1, 2021.