The Editor
The Anguillian newspaper
Dear Sir:
MY TEARS ARE RUNNING DOWN MY CHEEKS
Your editorials, articles and letters about the impending Goods and Services Tax are most informative and persuasive. I can only hope that the protests will eventually find favour with the UK Government, and that they will remedy the situation with alternative and more sympathetic forms of taxation.
Yes, the inhabitants of a country, who are the beneficiaries of services financed by the public purse, must pay certain taxes to keep the economy and the social services going. But, for Heaven’s sake, the Government must please save us from exorbitant taxes that are killing our local businesses and starving our people.
We are all very grateful to the UK Government for the funding they provided for our education, health facilities and other projects in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma; for the free supplies of the AstraZenena vaccine for the recurring COVID-19 virus; the promised Pfizer vaccine for our children; the one million dollars for budgetary support; and the grants for the resurfacing of the airport – and road development. But please don’t squeeze us and make us pay for assisting us. In thanking the UK Government, we must also thank the British taxpayers for the money we indirectly received from them through their Government.
We have a really dead economy. Many of our people are unemployed especially now that our hotels are closed for the slow season. The workers there are members of our families – parents, children, siblings and other relatives. Those workers are our breadwinners and now that they are not working, our tables are empty and there are no crumbs falling to the floor.
Please, Mother Country, don’t drop the GST on us. It is a like a nuclear bomb that will destroy us. My tears are running down my cheeks.
A Crying Anguillian
