Last Updated on June 4, 2020, 2:58 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), announced a series of fiscal incentives which will benefit the frontline workers, civil servants, students, pensioners and small business persons within the first 30 days on taking office after it wins the June 5 general elections.
Former Prime Minister of St Kitts and Mevis, The Right Hon Dr Denzil Douglas, made this major announcement on Monday night during a virtual public meeting.
He said that the new NextGen SKN Labour Government would within the first 21 days of taking office pay an honorarium of two (2) months salary to all the COVID-19 frontline workers including nurses, doctors, policemen, medical staff, soldiers and security personnel.
Dr Douglas, a former minister of finance, said that all the government employees, pensioners and civil servants would be paid a 15 per cent increase in pay, retroactive from January 1, 2020.
Dr Douglas added that his party would also increase the monthly stipend of the workers who have lost their jobs because of COVID-19 from $1,000 per month to $1560 per month which will be equivalent to the minimum wage of $360 per week and that they will also give every household a credit note worth $3000 which the household would be able to use to pay the water bills, electricity bills, NHC rents and mortgages and other obligations to the Government in the coming months.
The past and present students would be forgiven the principal and interest on the student loans for the period of the next six months with the Development Bank of St Kitts and Nevis.
The former Prime Minister further went on to say that this would not be a moratorium, it would be forgiveness of the principal and interest payable over the period of the next six months.
An increase in the minimum level of disability and age pension paid by Social Security was also announced, the said increase would be by 81% from the current level of $430 per month to $780 per month, which will be half of the monthly equivalent of the minimum wage.
The new NextGen SKN Labour Government also plans on establishing a fund of 25 million dollars in the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis for providing grants and loans to the existing small businesses in the country.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
