Responsible leadership requires difficult choices

THE EDITOR, Madam:

As a young Jamaican, I understand persons’ unease about new taxes. Nobody likes to pay more. It affects families. It affects businesses. It sparks strong opinions. However, responsible leadership is not about what feels good in the moment, it is about what keeps the country steady in the long run.

For ten straight years, the Government has said “No new taxes” on Jamaicans. That included the period when the world was battling the COVID-19 pandemic. While many countries struggled to manage both the health crisis and their economies, Jamaica’s handling of the pandemic was recognised internationally for being organised and measured. We got through it without sending the country into financial chaos.

During those same years, Jamaica managed to cut its national debt almost in half. That means we now owe far less compared to the size of our economy than we did 10 years ago. That did not happen by chance. It happened because of careful planning and tough decisions.

Then Hurricane Melissa hit, arguably the worst natural disaster to hit the country for generations.

Homes are damaged. Families are left without roofs. Roads and infrastructure are affected. The economic damage still remains massive. When something like that happens, a country needs money to rebuild. It needs money to support families, restore services and keep programmes running. And where does a country get its money from? Ultimately, from its own economy and its own people.

The truth is simple, taxes are what run a country. They fund hospitals, schools, security and social support. It is better to make targeted, measured adjustments now, especially on items like sugary drinks, cigarettes and alcohol, which contribute to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and rising healthcare costs that strain our public health system, than to face bigger problems later. The alternative would be more borrowing, deeper debt, or cuts to essential services that ordinary Jamaicans rely on.

Notably, even Professor Andre Haughton, a respected economist and member of the Opposition People’s National Party, has publicly supported the Government’s imposition of taxes, acknowledging the need for balanced revenue measures in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, recognising that policymakers must raise revenue responsibly while maintaining fiscal stability. That tells us this is not about partisan politics, it is about sound economics.

As young people and more broadly citizens of a country, we must think beyond today. Fiscal stability is not just an economic term. It determines whether our generation inherits opportunity or inherits crisis.

Responsible leadership is not always popular. But it is necessary.

IMRU N. KHOURI, JR

Chairman, Young Jamaica –

South East St Catherine

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