Clarke slams PNP's 'wealthy' plan

Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke has slammed the People's National Party's (PNP) W.E.A.L.T.H.Y Plan as "not credible, missed the mark and a big bag of tricks" during Thursday night's finance debate with his opposition counterpart, Mark Golding.

The initiative will be pursued under the party’s water, employment, access, land ownership, technology, housing, and youth ( W.E.A.L.T.H.Y) plan.

The PNP released its controversial plan yesterday which includes a promise to pay $4,000 toward the water and electricity bills of over 400,000 households in Jamaica. 

Golding was confronted early on in the debate to explain how the plan will be funded. 

He explained that the party would use over $280 billion in discretionary funding from the national budget as well as resources from cash-rich public bodies.  

He insisted that a future administration would not impose any new taxes.

But Clarke strongly dismissed the promise, arguing that the PNP could not implement its plan without new taxes.

He said the Opposition party's plan would cost over $100 billion. 

He claimed that the last PNP administration imposed over $53 billion on taxes. 

Attacking the PNP, Clarke said the party led by Dr Peter Phillips would be the "architect of destruction" for Jamaica.  

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