Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson
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Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson
The parliamentary opposition is calling for the government to do more to protect farmers, given that the general consumption tax (GCT) has been removed from raw imported food items.
Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson responded to those and other issues during his contribution to the Budget Debate on Thursday.
With the announced removal of GCT from raw foods, including fruits and vegetables, there are concerns that local farmers will be negatively affected.
On Tuesday, Finance Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke said Jamaica had to comply with international trade rules and remove the tax, or the country would risk being blacklisted.
But Mr. Robinson wants more to be done to protect the local agricultural sector.
"Given that we didn't have the choice to lift the GCT, how are we going to ensure and protect ourselves from cheap goods being dumped in Jamaica? The reality is that the playing field not level. We are competing against countries who subsidise their farmers in a way that we can't...we don't have the resources to do it," the spokesman lamented.
"So how will we protect the local farming sector, particularly where those farmers supply the tourism industry and now the option is to import a lot of cheaper alternatives?" he questioned.
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