{"id":274706,"date":"2021-09-27T10:03:42","date_gmt":"2021-09-27T14:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/?p=274706"},"modified":"2021-09-27T11:48:12","modified_gmt":"2021-09-27T15:48:12","slug":"ccm-proposes-stimulus-package-to-address-economic-effects-of-the-pandemic-and-last-5-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/homepage\/ccm-proposes-stimulus-package-to-address-economic-effects-of-the-pandemic-and-last-5-years\/","title":{"rendered":"CCM proposes stimulus package to address economic effects of Covid-19 and last 5 years"},"content":{"rendered":"\"\"\r\n\r\nPointing to what it refers to as modest and affordable recommendations which can alleviate some of the plight of locals, the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) has put forward a proposal document to the cabinet of Dominica in the form of an open letter, highlighting some measures it believes will remedy the economic \u201cpain\u201d that citizens have endured particularly over the last five years and due to the covid-19 pandemic.\r\n\r\nAmong its requests, is a proposed reduction in personal income tax to 10% for individuals earning more than $30,000 per annum and a $500 public assistant grant for all citizens for the next three months, totaling about $90 million.\r\n\r\nIn light of the pandemic, the CCM also recommends a special compensation for the self-employed who have been affected by lockdowns and other public health protocols.\r\n\r\n\u201cRemove excise tax and other taxes on petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel, thereby reducing the current $3.25 in taxes, in the price-build up mechanism, and reducing the price of gasoline effectively from $13.00 to $9.75 per gallon, for the benefit of all vehicle owners, but especially for bus and taxi-drivers,\u201d CCM said in its open letter.\r\n\r\nThe organization also called on government to accelerate income tax refunds and other payments to citizens.\r\n\r\nThe group took the opportunity to communicate its dissatisfaction with government\u2019s non-issuance of a \u201clong overdue\u201d stimulus to citizens after repeated calls for one. The CCM is convinced that such a package will enable citizens to recover from the \u201cmassive loss of revenue, and the pain endured by families prior to and during COVID-19 pandemic.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cIt is public knowledge that every other Caribbean island has offered a formal stimulus package to its citizens. This includes St. Kitts\/evis which allocated $120.0 Million in the first instance. The Barbados, the government offered US$1.0 Billion, as a stimulus package to its citizens. Grenada is now on its third offer of a stimulus package. But that has not moved the Dominica government which on the contrary, has persisted with an over-sized, over-valued cabinet of eighteen ministers; government has refused to account for public funds, while hard-pressed families are forced to make adjustments in their spending patterns,\u201d the CCM said.\r\n\r\nThe CCM further appealed to the government to \u201crethink its strategy of ignoring the pleas of suffering Dominicans and its disgracefully partisan and derisory approach to providing support to Dominicans, and to fulfil their pledge to serve all citizens justly and equitably, without fear or favour.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe CCM said it strongly believes that talks on mandatory covid-19 vaccinations should not be held \u201coutside the context of a discussion on the legal and mandatory compensation for these suffering employees and businesses.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe group said that it stands in solidarity with the hundreds of self-employed persons and small businesses that have been affected by the pandemic, including RUBIS West Indies Ltd, which earlier this month revealed that it was under dire financial strain and would be temporarily withdrawing its services and laying off staff pending the outcome of negotiations with government. This closure was later deferred and the company reopened its doors days later.\r\n\r\nOriginal letter from CCM below:\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t
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