Editor:
Dear Sir /Madam:
Standing in line on many occasions, one often sees old ladies, some not so old, digging in their purses to miraculously retrieve a few more pennies to hopefully complete payment for a few breadbasket items purchased. Pennies no longer exist for purchasing. From time to time, there may be a generous, or maybe a little more well off shopper who would help a poor lady. If one were to check, many of these struggling have outlived their husbands or breadwinners, and thus have no other means apart from few NIB pension dollars on which to survive.
Their dignity is thus put to shame in an effort to feed themselves. Can one even now imagine the utter insult now when they realize that the digging into the bottom of their purses many not result in sufficient five-cent pieces to help take home a few items which formerly were vat zero?
The poor are poor whether or not vat is calculated on breadbasket items.
Breadbasket items and dependence on them do not make the poor undignified. It is the cost thereof and the inability to pay which lowers the boom upon their cherished dignity.
I would suggest that no poor person given the position to decide the fate of his or her fellow human being would ever levy 10% increase on items for which they already struggle to purchase. Therefore, in my opinion, it is a total contradiction to take away the present zero vat on breadbasket items and think that it would elevate the dignity of the poor.
Already we face an estimated 40% of our less that 400,000 population living at or below poverty level. To restore dignity to them by demanding 10% on the items already outlandishly priced is nothing less than economic foolhardiness. This simply portends pure misery, starvation and total dependency on the state to borrow and feed them. Where then will their dignity lie?!
Finally, if we were bold enough to institute equitable taxation, then no vat would be required, especially on the dire poor!
Joseph Darville
VP Rights Bahamas
11/1/2021
Disclaimer:
The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his/her
private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of
TheBahamasWeekly.com
