Finance Minister Accuses PNP of not Explaining Plan to Fund $3m Tax Threshold Plan

Finance minister, Dr. Nigel Clarke, has accused the opposition PNP of failing to explain how their proposal of an increase in the income tax threshold would be funded.

He described the opposition leader’s position as “shifting in the wind.”

Dr. Clarke made the comment during his closing budget presentation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

During his contribution to the budget debate last Tuesday, Mr. Golding chided the government for only raising the income tax threshold to $1.7 million.

He pointed out that Prime Minister Andrew Holness had promised a 2.0 version of the 2016 increase. Mr. Golding had called for an increase in the threshold to $3 million.

Dr. Clarke says Mr. Golding’s call was just a cynical ploy to get the attention of Jamaicans.

Meanwhile, the finance minister has dismissed claims by his opposition counterpart, Julian Robinson, that funds under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education, PATH, have not kept pace with inflation.

Dr. Nigel Clarke, Minister of Finance and the Public Service.