Golding hits out against gov't's 'no new taxes'

Leader of the Opposition Mark Golding Tuesday afternoon sought to discredit the Government's argument of implementing no new taxes in the last seven years, asserting that tax collection has increased by $419 billion since 2021.

Golding, who was making his contribution to the 2024/25 Budget Debate in the Lower House of Parliament, said in financial year 2015/16, the final year of the last People's National Party administration, the tax collected totalled $411.8 billion.

This was 24 per cent of Jamaica's gross domestic product (GDP), he said.

Golding said under the current Holness Administration, tax collected is now over 28 per cent of GDP.

He said $419 billion of additional taxes has been collected over the past four years, representing an increase 66 per cent.

Golding said that this is more than double the accumulated inflation of 31 per cent over that four-year period.

“Looking at tax collection from the perspective of each Jamaican, since this Jamaica Labour Party Government came to office they have more than doubled the annual tax take from every man, woman and child in Jamaica, increasing it by a massive $190,000 per person to total $342,000 per person of taxation in the 2024/25 Budget.

“So much for no new taxes. No sankey no sing so,” said Golding.

He argued that while there have been no new taxes, there have been much more taxes.

- Kimone Francis

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