The Editorial of 10th November, 2023 (in The Anguillian Newspaper) questioned whether political parties in the past that made political promises, which were not kept, had made honest mistakes or engaged in deliberate deception. As we await the outcome of the Anguilla United Front’s (AUF’s) promise to implement GST Relief, the editorial which was titled “Honest Mistakes or Deliberate Deception” is being republished as a reminder of previous experiences.
“Honest Mistakes or Deliberate Deception?
Taxes are always a consideration for both the parties vying for election and for the electorate that must decide how to cast their vote. Usually the political party seeks to assure the electorate that there will be no increase in taxes or that taxes will be reduced. Members of the electorate are usually pleased to receive such assurances and sometimes solicit such assurances.
The AUF in its bid to win the 2015 General Election ran on a platform that included a promise to repeal what was then the Interim Stabilisation Levy. The APM (Anguilla Progressive Movement) in its bid to win the 2020 General Election ran on a platform that included a promise not to implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
The AUF won the 2015 General Election, garnering six of the seven available seats. The APM won the 2020 General Election garnering seven of the available eleven seats. It appears that the promises made to remove or not to implement a tax was a factor in the AUF and the APM succeeding in their bid to win the General Election in 2015 and 2020 respectively.
Were the promises made kept? The Interim Stabilisation Levy continued until it received a name change in 2021. It is now known as the Universal Stabilisation Levy with the only real change being the name change. The tax regime implemented under the name Interim Stabilisation Levy remains firmly in place. The Goods and Services Tax was implemented in 2022 and is highly touted by the APM administration as the source of funds for ongoing and promised projects. The promise to remove the Interim Stabilisation Levy by the AUF was not kept. The promise not to implement the GST by the APM was not kept.
Both the AUF and the APM have sought to explain the reasons for their failure to keep the promises that appear to have played a significant part in their successful bid for election in 2015 and 2020 respectively. The more cynical among us are suspicious as to their motives during their campaigns. Were they honestly mistaken as to the situation with the Interim Stabilisation Levy and the GST or were they being deliberately deceptive? Whether persons form an opinion one way or another, there is the genuine concern that persons seeking to lead a country for the next five years failed to sufficiently investigate the situation so that they could realistically determine what was possible or not possible. This failure does not reflect well on persons seeking elected office.
What promises will be made by the political parties, vying to be elected, in the next General Election? Will adequate research be undertaken before making promises, to ensure the viability of such promises? The electorate deserves nothing less. The electorate however, must also appreciate that it has a duty to require persons vying for elected office to support their promises with sound plans for delivery. Persons vying for office must not be allowed to rely on a gullible electorate.
The GST remains a significant talking point for both the APM and the AUF. The APM seeks to explain why, despite their promise not to implement GST, it is a good tax for Anguilla. The AUF continues to remind the APM and the populace generally that the APM failed to keep its promise not to implement GST, which they claim has contributed significantly to the increased cost of living in Anguilla.
Will the AUF do more than merely highlight the APM’s failure to keep its promise or will the AUF propose something that alleviates the suffering it claims the GST has brought to the people of Anguilla? Whatever the AUF proposes, its members will have to remember that it too failed to keep a promise made when vying for election in 2015. The electorate will now hopefully be more watchful and will demand more than mere rhetoric before buying into the promises of any political party.
Hopefully, following the next General Election, the electorate will not have to consider whether honest mistakes were made by those vying for election or whether they engaged in deliberate deception.”
We await the outcome of the promised GST Relief in the hope that the question whether the AUF made an honest mistake or engaged in deliberate deception will not have to be considered.
