Subsidy Review on Dry Goods
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Subsidy Review on Dry Goods
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Contact: Shannon Lebourne
Thursday, March 22, 2012 – The Government of Saint Lucia is reviewing its subsidy on dry goods like flour and sugar to ensure sustainability and greater benefit to the poor. Presently government expends EC$20 million annually to subsidise these products.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday March 21st, 2012 while on a tour of the Government Supply Warehouse in Castries, Minister for Commerce, Business Development, Consumer Affairs and Investment Honourable Emma Hippolyte disclosed that several steps are being taken to better manage the Subsidy Programme.
“The items are on the shelves and people are coming in from the OECS and Martinique to purchase these subsidised items to go back to their homeland and sell so our tax payers are now subsidising other business people from across the region. It is a troublesome area for us - we understand that these are basic items and we are looking at various options to ensure that our people continue to get it at a subsidised price while putting some controls in place”.
The Minister also intends to hold frank discussion with the Bakers Association to determine how government can assist them to contain the prices of their products while ensuring greater efficiency.
Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce, Business Development, Consumer Affairs and Investment Senator Honourable Dr Ubaldus Raymond says government wants to ensure it protects the most vulnerable citizens. “Given the current hardship in terms of raising revenue we need to revisit the subsidy programme we have for Saint Lucia and for the poor people because when you develop a subsidy programme it is suppose to be geared towards benefitting the poor people of this country but we have an open subsidy in Saint Lucia where the non-poor is receiving the benefits of the subsidy and so we have to put some things in place to ensure that the targeted population would benefit from the subsidy. We are looking at the revenue and expenditure and we will be making some adjustments very soon but I am guaranteeing you that it would not affect the poor people”. Following the review of the government subsidy on flour and sugar, the Ministry of Commerce, Business Development, Consumer Affairs and Investment will inform the public of the proposed changes. |
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