–through provisions in Budget 2026, President Ali says; dismisses APNU/WIN’s efforts to ‘deliberately mislead’ citizens
REJECTING opposition rhetoric that Budget 2026 neglects ordinary Guyanese, President Dr. Irfaan Ali said the APNU/ WIN collective is “deliberately misleading” the public, and ignoring the billions of dollars in tax relief, social support and cash transfers going directly to citizens.
In a video aired on his Facebook page, President Ali said the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government has consistently acted in the interest of all Guyanese, pointing to job creation, social services measures and sweeping tax relief including the removal of 200 taxes imposed on Guyanese by the previous APNU+AFC administration.
“It is the PPP/C government that has consistently stood with the Guyanese people, whether it’s sugar cane farmers, the sugar workers, the rice farmers, the miners, the Bauxite workers,” President Ali said while highlighting the economic devastation from 2015-2020.
For instance, in Region 10 while the former APNU+AFC administration led the bauxite sector downwards with nearly 800 jobs being lost, the PPP/C government brought back almost 1,000 new jobs.
Dr. Ali then pointed to the restoration of the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant for schoolchildren, which had been taken away by the APNU+AFC. He emphasised that these reversals were driven by concern for working families.
He went on to say: “Every single people’s Progressive Party/Civic Budget benefit the people, because it is for the people. And let us look at budget 2026… to say that the budget has nothing for the ordinary Guyanese is to ignore the measures that are clearly outlined in the budget speech,“ President Ali said, as he once again dismissed the “parroting” from the parliamentary opposition regarding Budget 2026.
Dr. Ali said that both APNU and We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) are exposing their agenda, which is to derail development.
The opposition’s claim that the budget does not benefit ordinary Guyanese collapses under even basic scrutiny.
Among some of the most major measures in Budget 2026 is, as President Ali pointed out, the increase in the low-income market ceiling, noting that when a homeowner has the security of their own home, collateral that can be used to accelerate wealth creation.
The housing improvement subsidy of $7.5 billion will directly support the housing needs and home improvement of the vulnerable segment of our population.
He then pointed to the reduction in VAT on various types of vehicles, making vehicle ownership easier.
“We have made it easier for the ordinary family to own a vehicle, the reduction, in fact, on various types of vehicles, various initiatives to ease the cost of living, including the maintenance of 0 per cent excise tax on petroleum products that alone will cost over $100 billion. The freight charges the pre pandemic level, that is billions of dollars of investment,” the President said.
He then focus on the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant which will see tens of billions of dollars going to the children of the country, which is also complemented with the introduction of a new annual transportation grant.
The continuous support for the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams, which the government pays for eight subjects was another initiative the President highlighted.
More than $54 billion will be directed to pensioners through pension increases and transport support, the President noted.
“We have the increase in stipends for the pathway workers, the community enhancement workers, the community support services workers, the annual bonus that we give to our men and women in uniform, the increase in the stipend for community policing groups, the payment of the $100,000 cash grant that alone is $60 billion of cash transfer to the people of this country, the removal of net property tax, the increase in income tax threshold that will put more money in our workers pockets,” Dr. Ali added, noting that these are measures that will cost hundreds of billions of dollars.
