My Dear friends,
To license a Vitz is about $280. A 40 percent increase is $104 annually. Less than $9 per month.
The average license fee for a motor car is $450. 40 percent equates to $180 annually.
We give thousands off in duty waivers, eliminated personal income tax to reduce the tax burden on individuals.
Because of our benevolent policies, Antigua has the lowest tax burden in the region at 17.5 percent, compared to the 24 percent regional average.
Fixing the roads would reduce the costs of wear and tear on vehicles, saving vehicle owners multiples of the $104, or $180 annually.
Traffic congestion will reduce and productivity increase.
Fixing dilapidated roads will improve the aesthetics of our country, improve visitor experience, potentially increasing tourism trade and investments.
The increase will be utilized to service a bond of $100M to significant improve our roads.
This is the first time that any government has dedicated significant resources to address our dilapidated road condition that has plagued us fit years.
I leave you with the words of JFK: Ask not what your country can do for you; Ask what you can do for your country.
Make your contribution to improving our roads by embracing the increase in the licensing fee, which is minuscule compared to our per capita income of $60,000.
