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  • RICHARD LEWIS | Gaston Browne Refuses to Protect Our People From Gas Hikes In Spite of Record Tax Revenue

RICHARD LEWIS | Gaston Browne Refuses to Protect Our People From Gas Hikes In Spite of Record Tax Revenue

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It is an act of gross wickedness to suddenly impose higher gas prices on our people, at a time of record tax revenue collection.

Gaston Browne’s onslaught of tax increases and new taxes, coupled with his government’s boasts of record revenue collection, and savings, should have made protecting our people from today’s gas hikes the obvious decision.

The Prime Minister and his proxies have thus far boasted about:

– Weekly improvements in the tax collection rate

– Reductions in wasteful spending

– Capturing new revenue by cutting back on the $175 million per year in discretionary waivers

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– A 21% year-on-year increase in Customs Duty collection, for January and February 2024

In addition, the Gaston-led Government imposed the ABST, to extract $50 million more from the people’s pockets every year, contrary to the PM’s election promise.

As if that wasn’t enough, we were blindsided by 3 new taxes in Budget 2024.

We can all clearly see that the Prime Minister is more than able to take meaningful action to “ease the squeeze”.

Gaston Browne simply refuses to use our tax dollars to protect families and small businesses from economic hardship.

I therefore urge our people not to be fooled by his excuses and deflections.

The consequences of exposing our people to this sudden gas hike would have been manifestly clear to any good leader: Our food prices and overall cost of living will be driven even higher, as the increased gas prices are passed on to consumers. And this will cause consumer spending to fall even further, as our families are forced to put less food on the dinner table.

Our people simply cannot absorb this gas price increase, in the current high cost of living and high unemployment climate, which was needlessly created by Gaston Browne’s broken promises and economic incompetence.

Regrettably, we have a Prime Minister who is preoccupied with creative enrichment, while our people suffer.

Richard S. Lewis MP

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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

https://bit.ly/3iVannm

 

The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending. Applicants should also have:
  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME banking operations
  • Knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures
  • Experience developing and presenting information in public, including responding to questions in real-time
  • Experience lending to MSMEs located in the ECCU
  • Knowledge of marketing and communicating with the MSME sector
  • Ability to draft procedures to be used in a lending operation
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of a loan guarantee program
  • Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite.

The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]