At the March 28th press briefing, Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr Ellis Webster, promised that his government would put relief measures in place to help ease the financial burdens faced by the residents of Anguilla as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
At the time, Dr Webster indicated that in addition to lowering the GST rate from 17.5% to 13%, his administration would also address the rising cost of fuel and groceries.
On Monday, April 11, at the government’s press conference, Dr Webster spoke further about progressing the proposed relief measures and noted that the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Customs had made contact with fuel suppliers in a collaborative effort to reduce the effect of the fuel tax on Anguillian consumers.
He said: “We are aware of the increases in the price of fuel at the pump, and the price of food [in the grocery stores]. Last week, we took to Executive Council (EXCO), a paper regarding the removal of certain taxes – customs duties – on fuel and food.
“That legislation has passed through EXCO and there are now certain regulations that must be generated – and amendments to legislation must be done so they can be taken to the House, and we can get that implemented. Once it is passed in the House, approved and assented to, it will then become immediate.
“We are working on price control legislation – a consumer protection legislation. The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade has been tasked with working on that legislation and policy – and taking it to the Attorney General Chambers so that we can get legislation in place to take to the House before July 1.
“[However], implementation of that legislation will require the help of supply officers. We are asking that the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade work on that also – as to how many [supply officers] we will need, and what training they will need in order to get them on stream. The Department of Customs has offered to work with us in terms of training for the supply officers.”
Dr Webster appealed to the public to exercise patience as details of the proposed relief package are being worked out.
He said: “There is a process required to look at the legislation, the regulations and the loss of revenue, because with a balanced budget – if we have a projected loss of revenue – we have to show where we can make that up elsewhere. This is how government works, and I would crave the public’s patience as we take care of these items. We know that they are urgent, but we have to follow the process.
“We know what will be covered. We just haven’t passed the regulations through Executive Council and through the House as yet. That is why the IRD hasn’t been able to release the exact list. Our plan is to get to that by next week or by the end of the month, and certainly before July 1.”
