Christopher Ram

Current Non-Interest Expenditure The National Budget comprises of a number of elements.

In this section we consider the measures announced by the Minister, analyse them, evaluate their impact and discuss the extent to which they meet the economic benefits of the stakeholders Section 6 of the 2017 Budget Speech contains a staggering fifty seven paragraphs of Budget measures, some of which are regulatory rather than fiscal.

The sore issue of contract employees in the public sector, following the change of governments in 2015, continues to attract interest.

The APNU+AFC earned its razor-thin, one seat majority after the public and the electorate had become completely disenchanted with the corrupt practices of the PPP/C Government.

There is no question that the state of the laws inherited by Mr.

The UN Convention Against Corruption has served as the catalyst for international efforts against corrupt politicians and public officials who have robbed the coffers of their states to the tune of billions of dollars.

The decision by the Minister to practically eliminate the long list of zero-rated items, making most of them exempt, has raised some basic questions about Value-Added Tax.

The Budget’s measures are substantial, revolutionary and are probably unprecedented. It is presented at a time when the Government is having to defend itself against accusations of corruption and cronyism.

This is another recipe about adding a little twist to what is deemed traditional.

Budget 2014 was delivered on Monday March 24, just one week before the constitutional deadline and almost three months into the fiscal year.

Note to Readers Over the past month I have been engaged with the editorial management on the Stabroek News over an apology they offered to Mr Ron Webster in connection with his controlling share acquisition in Caribbean Containers Inc, a company of which he has at all material times been Chief Executive Officer.

Part 4 Introduction My hope last week was to move seamlessly this week into the big ticket items on the CJIA contract – particularly the runway and the new terminal building.

Introduction I wish to acknowledge the generosity of all those persons who have shared information and their time and expertise relevant to this column.

Introduction In July last year under the caption ‘No such thing as a free chow mein’ I wrote critically of the process leading up to the decision to undertake a proposed expansion project at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

Introduction For several years I have drawn attention to the matter of annual reporting by the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation (CJIA), an entity established under the Public Corporations Act.

Introduction Describing its 2012 performance as riding on the back of a growing economy, the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited (GBTI) will be holding its Annual General Meeting for 2012 at its Kingston Office on Monday June 10 at 6 pm.

Introduction This article draws heavily on a commentary in Ram & McRae’s 2013 Budget Focus.

Introduction Guyana joined the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) in 2002, twelve years after it was established in May 1990.

Introduction To avoid getting caught up in a backlog of annual reports, Business Page today reviews the annual reports of three of Guyana’s public companies – Sterling Products Limited which held its annual general meeting on April 19, Caribbean Container Incorporated (CCI) which held its annual general meeting on April 30 and Guyana Stockfeeds Limited whose AGM is scheduled for May 23.

Introduction Following this column’s review of the 2012 Annual Report on the Demerara Tobacco Company Limited in which I stated that I am a small shareholder (500 shares) in the company, a colleague of mine criticised me for profiting from a company whose product is now known to be a killer.