The President of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) David Abdulah made the statement during a discussion on the social and economic fallout of the 2021 national budget on Sunday.
He said it is their belief based on measures highlighted in the 2021 Budget, which it says will not have the impact that some are hoping it would.
Abdullah said many persons who work for under $6000 monthly will not benefit from the income tax cap which moved from $6000 to $7000 tax-free.
He stated that the minimum wage has not increased, adding that the country needs to brace itself for a higher cost of living from the diesel subsidy removal and the deregulation of the gas industry.
He also addressed an increase in unemployment caused by the Covid pandemic, stating this will affect those who function just above or at the minimum wage level disproportionately.
He says if it continues things will cause things to degenerate significantly.
He warned that there would be more layoffs from the state sector like WASA, the Port of Port-of-Spain and at NP Gas Stations.
In terms of property tax, the MSJ Leader suggested the focus should be on large commercial and industrial properties.
He also took issue with online learning.
He described access to devices as one dimensional and maintained that supervision, how the work is presented, absorbed and assessed as well as the effectiveness of this method of learning should be reassessed.
*Courtesy Power 102FM
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