Friday, August 26th 2022 -- For the second time in a row, Hon. Dr. Terrence Drew, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis has shown just like his former political leader the Rt. Hon Dr. Denzil Douglas, that he has no commitment to the truth. He is ill advised and disrespectful to our people. On this occasion Dr. Drew announced that he was offering Two (2) VAT Days on back-to-school items. This has already been provided for by our Former Prime Minister The Honourable Dr. Timothy Harris PLP and his People Labour Party (PLP) led administration. Dr. Harris had already put in place a complete concession waiver on Duty, Consumption Tax and VAT from the 1st of July to the 30th of September 2022.
The recent announcement of two (2) VAT days is therefore stale news, given that a complete exemption of government revenue related to back-to-school items was already in place for now over a month, thanks to our former Prime Minister The Honourable Dr. Timothy Harris. He had also announced that this policy would continue to be in effect until 30th September 2022. This recent announcement begs the question as to whether Prime Minister Dr. Drew is a loose cannon, speaking glibly, without information from his technical team or cabinet colleagues.
We noticed that dishonest act when Prime Minister Dr. Drew took credit for a MRI machine that was already earmarked for JNF General Hospital. As Dr. Timothy Harris and his PLP led administration had already budgeted $5 million EC dollars to provide for a MRI machine in the 2022 estimates. Indeed, at page 24 paragraph 55 of the 2022 Budget Address, the former Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris said – “My Government continues to prioritize the upgrade of our health infrastructure as an important element in our mandate to provide high quality services and ensure resilience in the provision of services to the community. In 2022, we intend to improve on the provision of services offered at our various health institutions, at the J. N. France General Hospital. In the 2022 Estimates, we propose that $73.7 million would be allocated to the Ministry of Health. This would represent an increase of 11.8 percent.
This increase in funding would provide the necessary resources to fund additional medical professionals including a General Surgeon, Urologist, Oncologist, Orthopedic surgeon, Pathologist and Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist. We will also provide new diagnostic services with the introduction of a new MRI machine to be installed at the J. N. France General Hospital. The necessary technical personnel for the efficient and effective operation of the MRI machine are also proposed for funding in 2022.”
Why in the face of such facts would Prime Minister Dr. Drew dishonestly seek credit for work he did not do, especially?
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