Protecting the poor is killing Jamaica !

Every government in Jamaica has made it a point of duty, to indicate to us, that the policies they are putting in place are done in manner to “protect” the poor.

Since we gained independence over 50yrs ago, elections campaign, tax , education, health and a range of policies are all done with one thing in mind , yes you got it right ” to protect the poor”.

The poor have become such a political football in Jamaica, that we have created entire communities , just for the poor, who in turn must provide unwavering and rabid support to those who placed them there.

We have sought since 1972 when the exchange rate was $0.72 to $1.00 to today where it has reached over $100 : $1.00 to “protect” the dollar against devaluation, so we can “protect” the poor from rising prices for food and services.

We have framed out tax polices in such a manner that we refuse to tax more persons , while giving tax breaks to the rich so we can “protect the poor”.

We refuse to impose tax on everything including salt and lower the tax rates, because if we do this, it would have a devastating impact on who, well you guessed it ” the poor”.

What we end up with is a situation where the average working class person is asked to pay more and more every year, while the “Jones” continue to get waivers and concessions to support their insatiable appetite for US $ and foreign imports.

Let us examine for a minute the continued reluctance to impose GCT on everything including basic food items while simultaneously reducing the tax rate. It has been noted on this blog and elsewhere, that the real beneficiary of these tax free of GCT exempt items is NOT the poor, but the rich and despite evidence to support those views we continue to persist with this policy, why?

Well part of the reason is the poor who are often also uneducated or under-educated and will tend to believe those who appear to empathize with us and tell us they have our best interest at heart. One person refer to it is emotional intelligence and that the PNP is so much better at that, then the cold-hearted and unemotional JLP.

We have spent as  I mentioned above over 50yrs protecting the poor and despite our best efforts we have successfully managed to create even more poor people in Jamaica. Data available suggested that over 1million Jamaicans are squatters, which can be interpreted to mean, that even some who were once middle class have now moved into the bracket of being poor.

The PNP government had suggested a year ago that taxing of all items, would have severe impact on the poor, who they have a duty to protect , but is that really true?

Which is worse a runaway currency which has a double impact on prices of the every single item that the poor purchases or a reduction in prices overall via GCT reduction, while adding taxes to those additional items?

We could have (in my mind) significantly increased revenue by changing our GCT regime , which would have reduced the need to GOJ to increase taxes, which have only ensured that the very poor they say they are protecting are in a worse position and so is the rest of the country.

Its full time we do what is right for Jamaica. We need to do those things that will bring about long term benefit to the country.

We cannot expect to bring in significant levels of FDI unless we start the process fundamental changes in Jamaica.

The poor in Jamaica have little of no security and are typically the ones who are murdered by agents of the state and marauding mongrels, yet these are the very folks, we say we have spent the last 50 yrs protecting, so what am I missing here ?

Its time to focus on Jamaica , if we get the various parts right, the poor will have adequate protecting, but if we continue down this rather destructive path, they very poor whom we are trying to protect, will have no choice but to turn on themselves and then the state.