Opposition leader promises tax relief for workers

WESTERN BUREAU:

A “liveable wage” has been promised to Jamaican workers by Opposition Leader Mark Golding, alongside tax relief on overtime earnings, tips and gratuities, should the People’s National Party (PNP) form the next Government.

Addressing the PNP’s 88th Annual Conference in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, on Sunday, Golding said the wage would be adjusted annually to reflect increases in the cost of living.

“A job must provide more than survival. It must be a pathway to independence and a better quality of life,” he told supporters.

Golding said a PNP administration would introduce a livable wage designed to lift the working poor out of poverty and adjust it annually as living costs rise.

He also pledged to remove tax from overtime earnings, potentially affecting thousands of Jamaicans who depend on additional hours to supplement their regular wages.

The Opposition leader also turned his attention to workers in Jamaica’s hospitality industry, promising tax relief on tips and gratuities.

“We will remove tax from tips and gratuities … for our hotel workers and those who work in the hospitality industry, restaurants, etc,” Golding said.

The pledge could have particular resonance in western Jamaica, home to a significant concentration of the country’s hotel and tourism workforce.

Golding also reiterated the PNP’s proposal to remove income tax and education tax from annual earnings of up to $3.5 million over time, saying the measure would provide relief to working families whose spending power has been eroded by inflation.

The Opposition leader used the promises to underpin the second of five commitments he outlined during his address, making life easier for people who work for a living.

He argued that, despite being employed, many Jamaicans are finding it increasingly difficult to meet basic household expenses.

“Jamaicans are working hard, but food, electricity, transport, rent, school expenses keep moving up and up beyond their reach,” Golding said. “The cost of living is rising faster than wages, eroding the quality of people’s lives and deepening hopelessness and despair.”

ECONOMIC STABILITY INSUFFICIENT

Golding’s proposals come against the backdrop of continuing debate over wages, taxation and the cost of living, issues that featured prominently in the PNP’s campaign ahead of last year’s general election.

He told supporters that economic stability alone was insufficient if ordinary Jamaicans were not experiencing improvements in their standard of living.

Later in his address, he said a future PNP administration would maintain responsible fiscal policies and debt management, while insisting that its programmes would be costed, prioritised and phased.

He said resources would be redirected from areas the party considers wasteful, while expansion of the productive economy would be used to finance its social programmes.

“Compassion without competence is unsustainable, and competence without compassion leaves the people behind,” he said. “Jamaica needs both compassion and competence to progress to the next level.”

With this month marking a year since the 2025 general election, the next parliamentary election at which a new Government could be formed is not constitutional due for another four years.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com