Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines: The New Democratic Party (NDP) has launched its cost of living tracker to help persons get a clear sense of the cost of living and how it has been impacting people’s lives. The cost of living tracker is made up of the average cost of key food stuff from across the country. The NDP will continue this tracker every quarter to track what an average family spends on food and the impact on family finances.
Last week, the NDP again called for targeted support to help with the cost of living crisis. Launching the cost of living tracker, Member of Parliament for East Kingstown, the Honourable Dwight Fitz Bramble, said, “Families are crying out for support during this cost of living crisis. The ULP government response has been to turn a deaf ear and ignore the problem, showing once again this is a government tired and out of touch. The NDP will always put the people first, we have set out a 5 point plan to tackle cost of living and today we announce a new tracker.”
The cost of living tracker will catalogue the average cost of a basket of goods for a family and monitor on a quarterly basis. Our research shows that the average family spends $180.00 a week on food. Further, increases in food costs are only going to put more strain on families. Something must be done urgently. Dr Friday has outlined the NDP’s plan. And, we call on the government to put aside any pettiness and take a real look at our plan, our people need support.
The NDP cost of living tracker will also track the average weekly shopping for a family in St Vincent and the Grenadines. It is constructed by taking the average cost across 4-6 supermarkets of each food stuff and then taking the weekly amount. The NDP believes that by showing the impact it will further show government and other stakeholders the need for action at the same time helping families understand the impact on their household finances.