Oppressive Taxes and the Plight of the Poor

The new tax package that was announced on Thursday, December 17 by the Finance Minister Audley Shaw was a shocker! Never in my wildest imaginations would I have expected the government to come up with, much less announce, that, for the third time in less than one calendar year, not to mention financial year, it has decided to impose life-sapping taxes on the Jamaican people.

It is generally understood that the government needs to balance the books and steer the economic ship of Jamaica to “safe harbour”. This might necessitate the introduction of taxes and other tough measures. However, this latest surprise move has sent shock waves through the soul of the nation at a time when many were getting into the “heart “of Christmas celebrations. We are all still trying to settle ourselves after that shocking announcement.

I find the latest tax package distasteful and unconscionable. This is because this new revenue-boosting move lacks balance and sensitivity to the plight of the poor and reflects that the chief servant and his team are not the kind of managers that Jamaicans thought they were two years ago. There is no indication that the rich will be sharing the burden proportionately, or even equally, with the poor. What about pointing taxes in the direction of the rich? It might seem unjust, for instance, to tax wealthy lifestyle-sustaining government paper after promising a particular percentage interest on returns, but it is more unjust to make the already overburdened poor carry most of the financial load of the government's attempt to "curtail the fiscal deficit".

Where is the government's concern for the troubles of the poor? Has the Bruce Golding administration misunderstood Jesus' words that "the poor you will always have with you"? The government has decided to stand with the rich and further dehumanize, oppress, and marginalize the poor. This is scandalous. Jamaicans for Justice and other human rights groups should embrace the notion of preferential option for the poor and fight to get this new tax package rescinded. This oppressive move by the state must be resisted also by the church, which seeks to advance the agenda of the God of the poor. The church must opt to protect and preserve the sanity and humanity of the underprivileged and deprived.

Mr Golding claimed that "there is simply no alternative to raising new taxes". If this is so, then Jamaica is irrefutably a hopelessly failed state. I surmise that Mr Golding meant that there was no alternative that he could have presented to the county. On the contrary, there must be alternatives. There must be other avenues and pathways to balancing the budget. We cannot continue to tax this unproductive country to growth and stability. This is the recipe for more social mayhem, and ultimately, for national explosion and destruction.

I suggest that the prime minister lead a multi-faceted team of policymakers, thinkers, and practitioners from various areas and levels of this nation, including the Opposition, in the process of generating a comprehensive, workable, and viable plan for the development and transformation of Jamaica. The leaders of this county must rally the Jamaican people around one common cause and one plan of action going forward. Rather than a top-down, heavy-handed approach to governance and economic management, Jamaica needs an authentically democratic and participatory approach that will help "drive" it in the direction of economic recovery and prosperity for all.

The Gully-Gaza Phenomenon

The Gully-Gaza phenomenon is rather unique and instructive. It is unique in that the two feuding factions are headed by dancehall DJs rather than by dons and politicians. It is instructive in that the craze has engulfed our young people to the extent that even Usain Bolt has come off the fence. Indeed, it suggests that our young people are hungry for leadership and crave for a sense of identity.

The nation was informed of a meeting that took place at Jamaica House between the leaders of the Gaza and Gully crews- Vibz Kartel and Mavado- and some members of the government. Many, including some of my clergy colleagues, have berated and scolded the government for making such a “juvenile” and unnecessary move, claiming that it was a colossal waste of time that amounted to placing a band aid on a sore rather than dealing with the cause thereof. These persons are of the view that tackling the economic and social issues of the day is more important than meeting with dancehall artistes.

With full knowledge of the potential repercussions, I beg to differ with those who think that the government should not have hosted that now infamous meeting. Whereas there are more imperative issues to deal with in the country, their urgency does not negate the significance of such a meeting. Let us not throw out the baby with the bath water. We must condemn the vulgarity of the lyrical content of the songs, but we should also seek to meet the people behind them with a view to bringing about positive change. This is the “pastoral” role that the government has sought to play. Indeed, this decisive move might give the government the respite it needs so that it can refocus its energies on more pressing matters.

The reality is that there are historical precedents with respect to the positively transformational role of entertainers on the national scene in conjunction with politicians. Let us not forget that even Jesus met with influential sinners and sought to transform them and use them to transform, although there were more “critical” concerns. It seems that many in the Church have failed to recognize this in distancing themselves from such “sinners” towards whom they should move with the Church's multi-dimensional and multi-directional redemptive message and praxis. The “pastoral” role that the government is playing is one that the Church should be playing in the society. But, alas, the ecclesiastical giant has been found sleeping again!