More Increases, More Hardship!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Once again, the hardship of the Jamaican people has increased. The Government recently tables its supplementary budget in Parliament and increased hardship was on the platter. The government has hiked the taxes on telephone calls, cards and instruments from the already high twenty percent (20%) to a whopping twenty five percent (25%). So now you will pay a quarter of the price of a call, phone card or instrument, plus the stipulated cost each time your take up that phone to make call, buy a phone card or purchase a new phone. Whoever said talk is cheap certainly didn't live or visit Jamaica! However the increase didn't stop there!

If you are thinking of traveling overseas any time soon you will be required to fork out some more money coupled with the already ridiculously high airfares. Why? The government has also chosen to increase the departure tax by a whopping eighty percent(80%)! So now instead of paying the regular JM$1000 for departure tax you will now be required to fork out an extra JM$800 to pay the new fee of JM$1800each time you purchase a ticket to travel. This government never fails to surprise as yesterday when they announced the increases they pulled a fast one and announced that these increases would be effective today, Thursday October1, 2009! Surprise!

However, the government wasn't all about increases as they announced that they will indeed be cutting something! What would cause the government to deviate from their trend of increasing? The government confirmed the fears of many public servants on Wednesday when they announced that they will be cutting the number of people employed to the public sector. Up to earlier this week the Labour Minister, Pernell Charles, stated that as far as he knows the Prime Minister would not be cutting jobs in the public sector, but the Prime Minister sang a different tune on Wednesday! No time-line has been given for this cut, but many speculate that it will be soon, with the IMF deal in sight. So once again the already high unemployment figure in Jamaica will increase.

The only good announcement that came from this supplementary budget was that the Cabinet was not immune from the public sector job cut and that the government will be seeking to cut down on the red tape and gymnastics required to start businesses. But even with this gleam of light the days ahead grow even darker and hardship will only increase for the average Jamaican.

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Doomed - $5000, JPS Hike!!!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Our fate has been sealed today, September 24, 2009, the average Jamaican has been plunged into further hardship. The Office of Utility Regulations (OUR), for weeks has had our fate in the palm of their hands, as the deliberated in giving the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) the hike the deviously conceived and presented in earnest. Today was D-day, as the OUR was to say whether or not it would be granting the JPS the hike they have been eagerly awaiting and once again the customer's worse fear was realized!

The OUR has granted the JPS an increase on the non-fuel charge of the electricity bill, though the increase is not the ridiculous 23 percent average JPS was asking for, it is still a significant increase. The JPS received a 13 3 percent average increase in non-fuel charge of their monthly bills, which is still a huge increase in these harsh economic times. This 13 3 percent average increase in the non-fuel part of the electricity bill, is further compounded by the ever increasing fuel-part of the bill, which increased even up to this month! I dread the thought of what my next light bill will look like, because even with my attempts of conservation, I still see a bill coming up to several thousands. JPS is sticking true to their motto, "Changing lives with our energy", because they are certainly making our lives harder and making us poorer!

To coincide with this hike in the electricity bill, or maybe just coincidence, the Bank of Jamaica (BoJ) has commenced the circulation of the new Jamaican Five Thousand Dollar note (JM$5000). This is just perfect timing with the OUR grant of an increase to JPS, as we certainly will be forking out much more money to pay our bills. No doubt this increase granted to JPS, will shortly start to trick down into other utility bills: telephone, cellphone, cable, water, etc and will even start to translate into other goods and services. At least when people go to pay their bills instead of forking out several Thousand Dollar bills (JM$1000), they will be forking out less paper with this new JM$5000 bill. Now we can cover more bills with less notes. that's they only good way of looking at it, if there is at all any good way to look at it!

This hike in electricity bill and the new JM$5000 note further highlights the plight of the average Jamaican people and gives a dim picture of the overall economic health... or ill-health of the country. Dark and gloomy days lay ahead, we can't stop it, we just have to learn how to survive as much as possible. With this in mind, and my current unemployed status, I now have to reevaluate my energy conservation and see where can further cut back on my energy consumption to stay afloat in this turbulent economic stormy waters.

Source: http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=12847, http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=12851

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The Increases Never End!

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Well life has just got harder her on the rock. It seems the price of everything has sky rocketed over the past few weeks. The increasing price of gas become a norm now, even with the whopping increase to US$88 per barrel. It seems going to th pumps on a Thursday mooring the average driver expects to see an increase of JM$1.00 on the per litre price for gas. So despite feeling the crunch in ones pocket, the average Jamaican seems to be getting accustomed to the ever increasing gas prices. But this is not the only tribulation that was in mid air, pouncing on the pockets of Jamaicans!

The news broke a few weeks ago, when the Jamaica Flour Mills announced that the cost for flour will be increased by thirty percent (30%)! This increase in one single item might not look so drastic at first thought, but when you consider the rippling effects that this increase will inevitably have on all baked products that uses flour then the ominous picture reveals itself. Now Jamaican will have to dig deeper into their pockets for the simple necessary baked products like bread, biscuits, crackers. This ripple effect is also compounded by the many greedy resellers of flour who see this as an opportunity to fatten their pockets by stuffing their shelves with excessive increases in the price of flour. It has been reported that some store owners have already begun to practice price gouging.

But this is not the only pocket crunching food woe, it has also been reported that the prices of ground provisions have also gone up! Another bite into the ever diminishing pocket. I share the same sentiments of a consumer who the the Jamaica Gleaner quoted as saying, "Every month when I go to the supermarket the prices go up. Now I just buy the basic items, certain things like fruits and cereal I cannot afford...", as I feel the same way when I see the prices of goods on the shelves every time I go to the supermarket.

The unfortunate thing is that while everything seem to be on a rapid increase except my salary! Instead it seems to be on a downward spiral with the ever devaluing Jamaican Dollar! I guess I just have to ban mi belly learn to live with less and try to think positive, because with all the increases in the price of gas, utilities and food, compounded by negligible salary increases I can still afford to gaze on things like these...

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