Finally, VAT is here!

Ah listened to parts ah de debate this week on VAT and at one stage, it looked like if the motion was presented by de Opposition. Apart from de Prime Minister who actually led de debate, is like his other ministers didn’t do any serious homework.

Man ah wish ah did know ah-ting-ah-two bout VAT to mek ah contribution to de debate. However Common-cents tells me that with VAT in place, everybody, rich, poor, brown and yellow, black and white will pay dey fare share, fair share and fear share ah tax; and Guv-ah-mint will mek ah killing to de extent, that if dey ain’t care-full, we might end up like the foolish farmer who drained all the milk from the cow and let the calf starve to death. {{more}}All de lickle people dem who never had to pay income tax; de Vendors, Traffickers, de Fishermen, Farmers both agricultural and herbal will pay thru VAT; and even dem people who not wuking but does wait pon de lickle remittances from abroad, will automatically pay VAT when dey mek ah purchase. So that every toot-man-bag-eye will have not only less money to spend, but will take home less groceries foh dey money. Capital-is-him at its best!

Is nuff lickle in-trick-ah-seize in VAT and ah one-dah-ring if we shouldn’t put party aside and ask Dr Linton Lewis to sit with de add-vice-sirs. Lewis is one who seems owe-fare with VAT and was on radio trying to educate and inform de populace. He took time out to write ah series of articles in another newspaper on VAT. And what about Stanley De Freitas, brother of NME numbers I, 2 and 3 Dug-he, Mark-us and So-who’s-Ann. Lie-Za went to school with Stanley, she tells me that apart from being ah qualified Chartered Accountant, that he worked with the Federal Guv-ah-mint of Canada with de development ah dey Sales Tax System which is fun-dah-men-tell-he de same as VAT. Earlier in de year ah heard Stanley on ah Sat-dey morning program making his contribution to ah debate on de subject of VAT. From my lame-man point ah view, he did throw some light on de subject that morning.

Lie-Za like to mek joke with serious business. She say Uncle Freddy of Gonsalves Black Wine fame, should be recruited as ah consultant too. He been dealing with VAT all his life, how she went by his wine factory and how Uncle Freddy got ah pile ah VAT in his storeroom, some got in Rum, some full ah Black Wine and some MT.

SIR LOUIS TWO HATS

Ah wander what Sir Louis up to, when you hear he say he calling it quits, something in the pipe-line, and ah not talking bout his Big Gut pipe-line project that foiled up. Come to think of it he been around foh fourteen years, time really flies when we have nothing to do, or did nothing with our time. Well at least he made his name, he’s no longer Louis but Sir Louis and he mek sure and left his name on ah Tie-one-knees Skill’s Training building in Layou, ah think is only proper that he night de building too, add Sir and put handle pon dat name. No one could say that Layou with its new-look water-front is not ah beauty. Give Jack his Jack-kit, de town is safer now from ah soon-ah-me, thanks to Sir Louis

But ah glad he getting out ah pull-ah-tricks, if only foh one reason, another term and he might ah lose his sole! Up to this week ah heard complaints that two more people got chop-off de bread-line in Bagga; dey lost dey wuk and dey blaming Sir Louis.

But Lie-Za want Sir Louis sue me, she thinks that one ah de reason why Sir Louis getting out ah de kitchen is the heat inside. As Far-rain ah-fears minister and still ah US Citizen, soon if not already he will have to dissociate he-self from all these Aunty-US wretch-o-wreck that he endorses when he sits up front at these nah-nah-line sessions.

Ah don’t know way Lie-Za got she story from, she say she believe Sir Louis got two passport, ah US and ah SVG. And she want to bet me that is de Vincy passport he does use when he go places like Cuba and Venezuela. Sir Louis, you darm right, nah mek nobody mek you lose yuh so-shall security, yuh US citizenship, yuh green card and yuh pension, Lie-Za say put he family too. That is Lie-Za’s story.

But I know Sir Louis is ah Christian, he went Army Sunday School, he’s now seventh Day Adventist Elder. Now when Glen Stewart did call Rene nasty name, ah pass-de-truth, de Elders in de church did call him to board and he had to mek ah decision, he opted to leave pull-ah-tricks. Since de last elections when Sir Louis did put down dat piece ah bad wine behind de line ah ULP G0-Go dancers, he did get call up too. So ah sorry foh him, his US ting, and now his Eldership man ah hear when night come, he can’t sleep, it so bad now, that he weary change pillow!

Who will replace Sir Louis? Julian maybe. Lie-Za say Julian wash his hands from East Kingstown, he say if anybody write de words East Kingstown pon de finest brand ah Campari, he not touching dat with ah ten foot spouting. Jomo Thomas would ah been next in line but after reading Dr Richard Cox’s letter way ULP turn down Jomo application foh membership, ah went ahead and spoke to Arm-in about Jomo becoming ah member ah de NDP. Interestingly Arm-In says it’s O.K. Even though reminding him how Jomo call him all kind ah backward and reactionary, hear what Arm-In said, “ ah could deal with Jomo as long as he doesn’t call me ah coconut bat unfit foh test cricket”! So Jomo boy, get you NDP card, you never know, Arm-in might just do like Sir Vincent, step down from East Kingstown and hand over leadership ah de party to you.

And with that ah gone again.

One Love Bassy