Dear Editor,
I REFER to a letter published in the Kaieteur News of Monday, December 12, 2016 under the name of one Sasenarine Singh, a self-styled “liberal democrat”, and wish to debunk his false premises and wicked propaganda.PREMISE ONE: That the salary of an average minister is $927,922 monthly.
FACTS: (a) Only 3 vice-presidents are paid $927,922, and this money is taxable. It was also the salary of the Leader of the Opposition, who opted not to accept it, but to take the higher tax-free pension of $1,500,000 monthly.
(b) Ministers are placed in three scales of monthly salary: vice-presidents at $927,922 (3); other cabinet ministers at $869,927 (13); and junior ministers at $695,541 (9).
(C) The salary of a vice-president is LESS than that last paid to a presidential advisor under the former regime ($1,051,106). The salary of a junior minister is FAR LESS than that paid to a permanent secretary.
Based on a false premise, the “liberal democrat” concludes that the “average minister” will take home an extra $29,950 monthly, or $360,000 annually, as compared to an average teacher, whose take home pay would be reduced.
PREMISE TWO: That ALL Scale 2 teachers WILL pay VAT on use of water above $1,500.
FACTS: (a) GWI statistics show that there are 182,612 water users, of which 155,011, or 85%, pay $1,500 or less monthly. Only 27,601, or 15%, pay more than $1,500 monthly. The “average teacher” is NOT among them.
(b) For persons living in the cities, water charges are fixed at $100 per cubic meter, or 220 gallons. VAT is payable when a person uses ABOVE 3,300 gallons per month or 330 gallons daily. To pay VAT, that person has to use more than EIGHT 400-gallon TANKS of water each month.
PREMISE THREE: That ALL consumers, including lowly-paid teachers, have to pay VAT for use of power at $10,000 and above monthly.
FACTS: (a) GPL figures show that there are 165,115 paying customers. Of this number, 136,049, or 82.49% of customers, pay LESS than $10,000 monthly. Only 29,066 or 17.6% — mostly commercial places — pay more than $10,000 monthly.
(b) Almost ALL teachers in the income bracket used do NOT pay more than $10,000 for domestic electricity each month. It should be noted that even if the “liberal democrat” wants to launch a paper war against the Coalition Government from Maryland, USA, he should still employ the truth as his arsenal. Old people say: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we set out to deceive”.
Regards,
NAME PROVIDED
