Prime Minister Gaston Browne has issued a blistering warning to business operators and officials engaged in corrupt practices, declaring that his administration will no longer tolerate the pilfering of public revenue, even if it means turning away powerful financial backers.
Speaking passionately in Parliament’s Lower House on Thursday, the Prime Minister said his government is adopting a tougher, zero-tolerance stance toward malfeasance within state agencies and revenue departments.
He vowed to root out corruption stressing that this new wave of enforcement will be uncompromising.
“Many of these individuals are among the largest campaign contributors, but we are prepared to sacrifice them if necessary,” Browne told parliament.
“Our priority is to ensure that the government operates with integrity, and that every dollar of public revenue is protected and used exclusively for the benefit of our people,” he added.
The Prime Minister’s remarks sent shockwaves across the political and business landscape, signaling a major crackdown on sweetheart deals, under-the-table arrangements, and revenue leakage that have plagued successive administrations.
Browne said the time for leniency is over, and his administration will take decisive action to restore public confidence and ensure that government funds serve the national interest, not private pockets.
Most of these business are owned by foreign investors or foreigners where they transfer their money in thousands of dollars monthly to offshore banks and also to their countries of origin. While Antigua and Barbuda country revenue system is short in collecting it due taxes from these businesses.
PM Brown, that is what happened when you have friends and company mixed with the business of operating the country. They and their families and friends will contribute towards the general election and even vote overwhelming while they are robbing the country in paying their correct share of taxes and the Custom duties on their importation of goods shipment. While the small man and woman who bring in a barrel suffered at the cost of Custom duties.
I love you, Mr. PM but what do you expect to happen really? You are the one who gave your ministers permission to enrich themselves. Don’t you expect this mandate to trickle down the ranks? Please sir! Give me a break! This is what happens when you have skewed foresight; you create loopholes for people you think are too dunce to walk through, to just breeze through. Stop underestimating your people’s intelligence. They can see through all of it and who can pilfer will continue to pilfer because the shoddy precedence already set, started from the top down.
So we’ll just knight ’em instead. SMH
Campaign honors give out to the labour party the same money they steal.from government
Campaign honors give out to the labour party the same money they steal.from the government.
Perhaps there may be a clean electoon after all. No bribery
So how will u get campaign financing? Asking for my Baba
Let us continue to.pray for our leader
So gaston campaign donors in it then? How we jumped to that?
Start within your wife’s ministry
Its the talk of the town. Not good for us the labourites. PM make it right lest you disintegrate