–President Ali rebuffs Opposition Leader’s ‘friends-and-family’ claims regarding Budget 2023
–says every citizen is catered for under the umbrella of ‘One Guyana’

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali on Tuesday dismissed claims made by Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, regarding the 2023 Budget, noting that every Guyanese is his family and they all will benefit from the government’s fiscal plans.

“I’m just as shocked and surprised. But what more can we expect? Where there is emptiness, there is a lot of noise,” the President said during a press conference at State House, on Tuesday.

Norton, in his reaction to Budget 2023 said: “This budget, in my opinion, is a marked failure. The most critical thing at this stage is inflation, and what inflation is doing to our country, and there are absolutely no measures in this budget to deal with inflation.”

“In large measure, this budget is a very large budget that puts a lot of resources in the hands of the PPP elites, their families, friends and favourites. This is not a budget for the people,” Norton said

According to the Opposition Leader, the budget was “anti-poor” and “anti-working class.”

However, the President said that the 2023 budget will pump billions of dollars into the economy through various initiatives that would rapidly transform and modernise the nation, while also bettering the lives of each Guyanese, something the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) had failed to do while in government for five years.

The Head of State, in dismissing Norton’s claims, said that the budget caters for the housing programme, which would allow some 25,000 Guyanese families to acquire their own homes.

“So that is 25,000 friends and family of the government. I take it, thank you. I take them as my friends and family because every Guyanese is my friend and family.

“So yes, yes Mr Norton, the 25,000 that will be getting their house lots under this government, is our friend and family. Because in your five years of government, you failed to give any of them anything,” Dr. Ali said.

He further highlighted that for the working class, the movement of the threshold from $75,000 to $85,000 will benefit tens of thousands of Guyanese.

For parents and guardians, the education grant will benefit 214,000 schoolchildren. The grant which stood at $25,000 will be increased to $40,000, thus releasing an additional $8.6 billion into the hands of parents for their children.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government had introduced the cash grant to parents of children attending school, to meet other expenses associated with their children’s attendance, but this initiative was discontinued by the former APNU+AFC regime.

“Tell the Opposition Leader thank you for understanding that you are my friends and family. That is why we are working for you. That is why we’re helping you. So, the 214,000 children that are benefiting you are our friends and families,” the President said.

In outlining the other measures that will provide continued relief, the President said that thousands of consumers will benefit as a result of the reduction in freight costs.

He added that the budget also caters for the $3 billion salary adjustment that will benefit the 5,000 healthcare workers and 9,000 members of the disciplined forces.

WE ARE FAMILY
However, the President urged the public not to look at Norton’s remarks negatively, since “we all Guyanese are his friends and family” and will benefit from the budget.

“I’m not looking at it as a negative. You know your President. I don’t look at anything in a negative way. What the man was really saying was that Guyana and the delivery of Budget 2023 is for the entire Guyanese friends and family. He’s accepting the fact that the PPP government has embraced the entire Guyana community as our friend and family.

“This man has finally come to his realisation of the reality that this budget, that this government, is delivering to the friends and family of the PPP, who constitute the entire whole of the country,” Dr. Ali said.

According to the Head of State, the education grant, the income-tax threshold adjustment, the salary adjustment, and the expansion of the part-time job programme are a part of the billions of dollars back into the pockets of people improving disposable income.

He added that while these grants were criticised by the Opposition, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) quarterly Caribbean economics report noted that Guyana was able to record low inflation rates due to direct action to keep prices from rising due to these same measures.

“The proof is in the numbers. Guyana is among the lowest tier of countries in the globe in terms of inflation rates and the passing on of inflation to consumers. That is not what I’m saying, that is what the stats are saying. You know why? Because of proper management, proper policies and showing that the economy does not overheat bringing the balance and that is what budget 2023 does,” the Head of State noted.

On Monday, after Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh’s presentation of the 2023 Budget, the President said that the massive $781.9 billion Budget 2023 will advance Guyana’s transformation

This year’s budget is approximately 41.4 per cent larger than Budget 2022 and brings in revenues from Guyana’s first carbon sale, which amounts to some $1.3 billion. The use of these funds will serve as part of the transformative agenda of the government.

Further, the budget also sees the addition of some $208.9 billion to be transferred from the country’s Natural Resource Fund (NRF).

According to the President: “Budget 2023 will see the low-income ceiling for loans for the housing sector, increasing from $15 million to $20 million, so a young professional now would have that ability to borrow within that low-income ceiling, moving from $15 million to $20 million at low-interest costs.”

These are among many measures addressed in this year’s budget to further improve on various sectors that have seen a tremendous transformation over the past two years.

President Ali said during his live address that throughout the week, he will continue to highlight areas in which Budget 2023 will deliver a higher quality, more productive and sustainable life for all Guyanese.