Opposition leader Allen Chastanet has said although the Philip J. Pierre administration did not create inflation, the government can soften it.
“They are certainly responsible for allowing the price of fuel to increase and to stay increased at this elevated level,” the United Workers Party (UWP) leader asserted.
Chastanet explained that the effect was that bus fares and the price of bread and cooking gas had gone up.
“It is having a spiralling effect,” the former Prime Minister told the radio call-in programme Newwspin on Thursday.
Chastanet said the government’s 2.5 percent Health and Security levy had worsened matters.
At the same time, he lamented that the government was making no sacrifices.
“There’s no stopping in travelling. There’s nobody trying to turn off the lights at night. There’s nothing you hear the government saying that we’re going to be tightening our belts. “We’re going to try to become more efficient because we need to save money’. None of that,” the UWP leader declared.
And amid calls for a consumer boycott of Massy Stores over high prices, the former Finance Minister said the prices reflected the government’s policies.
“How do you believe that you are going to increase the levy of 2.5 percent on all items, transportation, lawyers’ fees, all these other costs and not to believe it is going to have an add-on effect to the price of food?” Chastanet noted.
“When you make it more costly to do business in Saint Lucia, you have to pass that on somewhere else,” he asserted.
In addition, the opposition leader explained when it is not possible to pass on the price and sales stop, people go out of business.
He said food is a necessity so people would reduce consumption.
Chastanet said to pass the blame on Massy was unfair.
Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the supermarket chain could do things better and find deals to reduce prices.
However, the opposition leader declared that the prime responsibility lies with the government, which has done nothing to soften imported inflation.
Before me there was ❓
A year ago I bought a box of cereal for $12.00 by Massy. A few months later it went to $13.00. Then $15.00. Now it is $18.49. Meanwhile prices all over the US are dropping.
Sign the document on your desk. Oh, wait
You always have a rabbit in your hat. We are on the brink of world war 3 gas prices going up all over and stocks markets falling but yet you would “soften the blow”. Ok I got you ….all we have to do in St Lucia is to increase our oil production and sell our rice cheaper.
a a chas pjp making fuel? the government of st Lucia making fuel? chas every time you open your mouth is nonsense that coming out eh. but where is.that letter you had once you sign it.the fuel price would go dowwwwn. give it.to pjp so he can sign it so fuel prices can go dowwwwn . what happen you don’t care about us as you say or what.
This man makes me sick to my stomach, you were in power for 5 years and the prices were already sky high what did you do to bring down the prices or inflation but know that you are in opposition you have all the solutions…
THUCK MASSY , I don’t know what part of the USA you are shopping and living because where I am this is not my reality . Every thing except the price of eggs keep increasing.
Perhaps you may want to share that information with us.
The St. Lucian people can no longer be fooled by Chastanet’s stupidity and gibberish. Gone are the days when your propaganda, disinformation, and misinformation would be accepted without question. We need a leader who is more intelligent than us, not an incompetent buffoon to govern us.
Simply reducing the collectable taxes (import, VAT and Levy) on foodstuff would temporarily soften the prices.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. There is precedence regionally and Internationally.
Chas, I fully support you, this government could have done better if only the 24 million you gave Sandals had return, the 7 million you gave for vaccine had return, we knew the number of passports you sold and the 863 million you borrowed was put into good use. Then things would be better.
@Perry Massion you have proven you are not a “genius” as stated but a mare simpleton. Don’t make foolish statements if you don’t know nothing about government budgetary management and expenditures.. The government does not impose taxes on the citizens because it feasible, it imposes levy’s because it’s necessary evil to pay for the essential services for it’s citizens and to run the country.
@the dis -honorable one… I’ll play your game.
Surely increased evils such as food poverty,, and potential Illnesses are cheaper to fix before they evolve into a true problem for the government( a stitch in time..) .Or are you so blind to think that dealing with sick and malnourished st Lucian’s is easier because your taxes (for their benefit)
Will heal the evils you help create.
@That Perry Massion character obviously you have never herd the saying “the two things that are guaranteed in life is death and taxes”. So in earnest, the government is right on track.