One eye out for new taxes ... the other for customers

Nadisha Hunter, Staff Reporter

Business has not been the same for 49-year-old Clare Miller since the recession.

The fruit vendor, who sells in Cross Roads, St Andrew, says turbulent economic conditions have forced away many of her customers who have seen their disposable income reduced.

She says gone are the days when she was able to easily cover her monthly expenses from the proceeds of her vending activity. These days, she says, money is just hard to come by.

And with the national Budget Debate starting today, Miller said it is a tense moment for her as she is almost sure she will have to face up to new taxes.

Today, Finance Minister Audley Shaw will tell the nation how he intends to finance the $544.7-billion Budget he tabled in Parliament recently.

Like other Jamaicans, Miller says she will be watching to see if new taxes are imposed and if better services would be promised to the nation.

nothing to help us

Miller, however, is not optimistic that the Budget Debate, starting with Shaw's presentation today, will make her life easier.

"I don't see anything in the Budget to help us vendors who are on the roadside trying to make ends meet. The Government said there will be no new taxes, but me know we a go see some increases and it is going to be hard because if pressure is on the working people them, what say us who are just hustling," she added.

She said vending on the sidewalk has been the source of the finances she uses to support her dependants, including her three grandchildren.

Miller said should taxes or service charges be increased in order to fund the Budget, she would just have to work harder to ensure her survival.

"I have something in me that always keep me going, so I will get through this one.

"At the end of the day, we have to find ways and means to finance the big bills and take care of our daily needs, so even though things not the way we want it, we can't give up," she said.

She said it has been almost 30 years since she has been selling ground provisions and fruits on the sidewalk in Cross Roads, and although she complains her sales are dwindling, Miller does not plan to give it up.

"If I give it up, I won't be able to survive and so even though it rough, I have to hold on to it," she said.