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Unfair duty concession for gov't travelling officers
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Dear Editor,
This is an open letter to the Prime Minister regarding the government's initiative on limiting to travelling officers in the civil service the 20 per cent concession on motor vehicles with a CIF value of US$25,000 below 2500cc.
Mr Prime Minister, I take issue with your recent statement in Parliament, where you suggested that if a civil servant could afford a Pajero, the person can afford to pay the full duty to import it. This comment smacks of contempt for the people who work hard, day and night for the people of Jamaica.
Your comment suggests that you did not care how long it took the person to save towards the vehicle on the meagre salaries they are paid. Or how much sacrifice that person went through by "banding the belly" so that they could qualify for a loan to finance a vehicle that would withstand the craters in the road and not require frequent front-end repairs.
You see, Prime Minister, there is a minority of officers who are able to purchase their motor vehicles without the help of a financial institution. Most of us have to seek loans from institutions which allow as much as 100 per cent financing for new vehicles. Many of us can find only the deposit for the vehicle and the amount needed to insure it. To suggest that we do not deserve to get government assistance to own a vehicle that is more comfortable to drive in, while you and your ministers have access to the same vehicle, is hypocritical. As a taxpayer, I contributed to purchasing your ministers' SUVs, and all we want is reciprocity.
While we the civil servants do not see the concession as a right, we see the limitation as an attempt to "keep them down deh".
In your speech, you hinted that the concession policy was being abused by the majority of people who apply for it. I challenge you to give details as to the vast number of people who abuse the process. I believe that the figures are not available, for if they were, the government would have already publicised the identity of the perpetrators, which would send a clear message to the others who may be contemplating the same action that the risk of detection is now too high. Therefore, I suggest that speculation is being used as the basis for this draconian policy.
If the proposed principle should be used in the tax system, then should the government raise GCT to 50 per cent in an effort to get more revenue from those tax dodgers who consume goods and services from the formal sector? Or will this measure penalise both the good and the bad in a bid to compensate for the inability of government to capture these people in the tax net?
Mr Wayne Jones is correct. Fix the problem with the policing of the concessions and do not penalise the bona fide officers for wanting to aspire for better. If the efficiency of the policing cannot be increased, then the government should consider increasing the CIF value to between US$30,000 to US$35,000 for vehicles not exceeding 2500cc.
I do hope you will consider my humble request, Prime Minister. I am a travelling officer.
Peter James
pj_ranks@yahoo.com
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Dear Editor,
This is an open letter to the Prime Minister regarding the government's initiative on limiting to travelling officers in the civil service the 20 per cent concession on motor vehicles with a CIF value of US$25,000 below 2500cc.
Mr Prime Minister, I take issue with your recent statement in Parliament, where you suggested that if a civil servant could afford a Pajero, the person can afford to pay the full duty to import it. This comment smacks of contempt for the people who work hard, day and night for the people of Jamaica.
Your comment suggests that you did not care how long it took the person to save towards the vehicle on the meagre salaries they are paid. Or how much sacrifice that person went through by "banding the belly" so that they could qualify for a loan to finance a vehicle that would withstand the craters in the road and not require frequent front-end repairs.
You see, Prime Minister, there is a minority of officers who are able to purchase their motor vehicles without the help of a financial institution. Most of us have to seek loans from institutions which allow as much as 100 per cent financing for new vehicles. Many of us can find only the deposit for the vehicle and the amount needed to insure it. To suggest that we do not deserve to get government assistance to own a vehicle that is more comfortable to drive in, while you and your ministers have access to the same vehicle, is hypocritical. As a taxpayer, I contributed to purchasing your ministers' SUVs, and all we want is reciprocity.
While we the civil servants do not see the concession as a right, we see the limitation as an attempt to "keep them down deh".
In your speech, you hinted that the concession policy was being abused by the majority of people who apply for it. I challenge you to give details as to the vast number of people who abuse the process. I believe that the figures are not available, for if they were, the government would have already publicised the identity of the perpetrators, which would send a clear message to the others who may be contemplating the same action that the risk of detection is now too high. Therefore, I suggest that speculation is being used as the basis for this draconian policy.
If the proposed principle should be used in the tax system, then should the government raise GCT to 50 per cent in an effort to get more revenue from those tax dodgers who consume goods and services from the formal sector? Or will this measure penalise both the good and the bad in a bid to compensate for the inability of government to capture these people in the tax net?
Mr Wayne Jones is correct. Fix the problem with the policing of the concessions and do not penalise the bona fide officers for wanting to aspire for better. If the efficiency of the policing cannot be increased, then the government should consider increasing the CIF value to between US$30,000 to US$35,000 for vehicles not exceeding 2500cc.
I do hope you will consider my humble request, Prime Minister. I am a travelling officer.
Peter James
pj_ranks@yahoo.com
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