President Ali –Budget 2022 is about removing burdens from citizens’ lives

President, Irfaan Ali said that ‘Budget 2022’ will set aside “resources” to directly deal with the
global surge in the cost of living.
Ali expressed this view on Tuesday as he gave a brief virtual address hours before the country’s
national fiscal plan is read in the National Assembly. President Ali, in his address, acknowledged
the economic burden facing Guyanese and the rest of the world, which he said is due to massive
global shortages and issues of logistics. Ali noted that the government has taken note of the issue
and will implement measures to frontally address it.
“I am aware of the impact that cost of living is having. While we cannot address all the issues
surrounding cost of living, I’ve instructed that resources be set aside to address this issue,” the
Head of State told the nation. Ali revealed that since the onset of the pandemic, international
manufacturers have been operating at a limited capacity. Additionally, he said many countries
have seen massive increases in freight/shipping costs.
The president stressed that notwithstanding this, government remains committed to alleviating
the “burdens” that many Guyanese are faced with due to the increased cost of living. He
disclosed that in this year’s fiscal package, this alleviation will come in the form of a “sizeable
allocation”.
“This government has a commitment to do all it can within its budgetary constraint and
framework to help the population of this country…I’ve asked the Minister of Finance to set aside
a sizeable allocation to address issues of cost of living,” Ali said. The president explained that
the allocations will not just be given away for random use, but will follow community
consultations which will be held to point out specific issues that are faced by citizens.
“This sizeable allocation will be used through consultation with communities across the country
to identify specific ways and initiatives in which we can deploy this budgeted allocation to ease
the burden on the population,” Ali explained.