Opposition leader Allen Chastanet took to Facebook Monday to reiterate a call for Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre to suspend the 2.5 percent Health and Citizen Security tax.
The United Workers Party (UWP) leader declared that the new measure makes life more difficult for all Saint Lucians, especially the most vulnerable.
“If the UWP were in office today, we would be reducing taxes, not increasing them,” the former Prime Minister asserted.
Chastanet urged Saint Lucians fed up with paying more for gasoline, diesel, kerosene, cooking gas, bread, bus fares, electricity, water, and now all other goods and services to join an opposition-organised protest march on November 30.
” I invite you to join us for the Save Our Saint Lucia Protest March on November 30, 2023, starting from the Vigie Playing Field,” the Micoud South MP stated.
“Let us send a strong message to Philip J. Pierre that Saint Lucians have had enough of his inflationary policies and that he must Axe The Tax! Saint Lucians need a break!” Chastanet declared.
Chastanet, your an embarrassment to yourself and St.lucia,by extension.
Had you not given away all our monies,St.lucia wouldn’t be in the Crisis it’s in today.
Everything about you is false and by now you should realise your false narratives isn’t fooling us anymore.
St. Lucians will no longer be fooled by you. Wasn’t this same man who initiated this same tax to beimposed on us.
Wasn’t this same man who insisted on platform a d all his political meetings that he would reduce VAT by …and in his quoted words and I quote
” The ultimate removal OF VAT””
You never removed it and now you motocading st. Lucia yesterday and promising (10%) VAT. We are educated and not fools Chas. Sadly you will have to wait for the next 2.5 years.
Remember the people spoke.
SMH…..
AND NOW THE PEOPLE ARE CRYING AND KILLING EACH OTHER.
Warning: St.Lucians change govt. every 5 years. This one has given us enough reasons to boot them out
@Joseph George. Kindly provide 3 reasons why they should be booted out. And provide intelligible reasons. Not the usual “gasa dem mun not doin nuffing” or “nuffing running”
Guy haven’t seen anything yet. They are trying hard to poke holes in this administration but the people are not buying the bluff. Two things that will not change in the short term are crime and inflation. The people who are informed know it’s a hard sell. Asked your associates in the US, UK & CAN about how inflation is affecting them. A big drop in remittances this year will draw the whole picture. All government expenditures are dependent on revenues. It is not rosy anywhere, and is expected to get worse. The best advice is to recognize your priorities and adjust your spending if you even have an income.
Chastanet, your actions have demonstrated that you don’t give a damn about St. Lucians. Your loyalty is to your class and race. You are a fake, phony, and a fraud. Nothing good can come from your mouth. The government is doing its utmost to implement universal health care to a population fraught with type 2 diabetes and hypertension yet you are spewing filth about tax repeal. What’s your alternative to universal healthcare? You don’t have any because stereotypes and prejudices are what fools use for reason.
Smh @ Lucians. Why would a right thinking st. lucian not supporting a reduction in taxes? Imagine those out there who don’t support a reduction in tax. Y do we like hardship for our ppl. Inflation on the rise and yet still extra taxes are imposed on us. And there are ppl because if political colour don’t wanna say it’s a bad idea. No one is asking you to vote against PJP, but let him know that taxes should be reduced.
This man is nothing but a bloody con artist who is just desperate for power . He does not care about the over 80 percent black people . He is a racist and a fraud… He and the Du Boulay family that will go and protest in the hot sun …
@WOW every one in the country would love less taxes. Its he Chas and this thieves who have made lives difficult for us now. Weare complaining in St. Lucia.
Do you know what VAT Barbadian have to pay. Uh..
17.5% yes 17.5% they are paying to run their economy. Also on electricity and cable.
CHAS is trying to fool the popular on 10% VAT if i get back to office.
IMPOSSIBLE……BS
I’m not a Chas fan but we need a break gasa. That 2.5% tax just cost SLP my vote.
These SLP hacks always have some non sense to defend their incompetence and wickedness. The PM increased the budget for consultancies by $45 million which means the budget for consultants is now $125 million but trying to raise $37 million with that new tax. How is that putting us first? Who benefitting from all these consultancies?
My PM please do the right thing for the people. Chastanet is right. People need a break. So many St Lucians struggling to get by and not enough support from the Government. This tax is the straw that broke this camels back. Atleast move the tax on vehicle parts and tyres. The roads eating us up. We need a break!
It’s interesting to note that the Labour Party hacks never respond to the issue at hand; instead they want to give feeble excuses. United workers party promised to reduce vat and they did it within the first few months of being elected, and who knows? If it had not been for Covid, they would have reduced it for sure to ten percent. What does this say about any government, at a time of high inflation, when people are already struggling, that you would increase the tax by 2.5 percent just to say that Chas was wrong? What does this say when you look to move into an 80 year old building instead of a brand new hospital? What does it say when you will spend millions of dollars to change the design at HIA just to say that Chas was wrong ? What does it say, to stop the Rodney bay road from proceeding just to say that Chas was wrong? What does it say to sell Castries cruise port for nothing and not to do the cruise port in Vieux fort, just to say Chas was wrong? What does it say that you tried to kick Chas out of parliament and he took y’all to court twice and he won, just to try to say Chas was wrong ? What does it say about a government that would not run Labour candidates in Castries central and Castries north and include the snake Stevenson king and the mongrel Richard Frederick in your cabinet ? Just to say Chas was wrong? The SLP has breached the trust of the people of st Lucia and like your comments, are attempting to protect the victory at all costs . I’m asking everyone let’s join the march on the 30 th to let SLP know we can’t take it anymore !!
I am in full support that this tax should have not been there, but who caused it? If Chas had used our monies wisely things will be way better.
He gave away 7.3 million for no vaccine, 24 million to Sandals, he borrowed 863 millions we don’t know what he did with it, up to now he cannot account for the passports he sold. So why should he has to talk. Chas sorry for you.
Yard fowl cross the road
Joseph George speak for yourself
Amazing. Labour supporters love a tax. None of them oppose it, its like they are some kind mezmerised zombies. Loving every ounce of punishment the cabal rains down on them. Its actually a compounded tax and so it more like stealthily moving from 12.5% (VAT) to 16.5% (VAT + levy), but their supporters tend not to be very smart. I wonder how this feeble minded crew of red joy-juice drinking supporters would have reacted if they had been hit with this same tax in 2016-2021.