Kingstown, St. Vincent May 4, 2026 – Lawyer, commentator and Journalist Jomo Thomas is urging the government to reject recommendations from the International Monetary Fund for higher taxation and austerity measures, arguing instead for a reduction in Value Added Tax (VAT) to ease pressure on struggling households.
Speaking on his Plain Talk programme on Boom 106.9 FM, Thomas said the IMF’s policy prescriptions would worsen economic hardship in a country already facing poverty and unemployment.
“The governing party, the New Democratic Party, Prime Minister Godwin Friday and his team would be foolish if they were to adopt those policies,” Thomas said.
His comments followed the IMF’s 2026 Article IV Mission to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, during which the Fund reportedly recommended maintaining VAT at 16 per cent, using targeted cash transfers rather than broad subsidies, and pursuing fiscal reforms aimed at reducing debt pressures.
Thomas argued that VAT falls heaviest on lower-income earners and should be reduced rather than maintained at its current level.
“The VAT is fundamentally a tax on the poor,” he said. “Each time someone goes to a checkout counter, particularly a poor person, 16 per cent is added to the actual value of the cost of the thing.”
He said a reduction in VAT by even a few percentage points would provide immediate relief to consumers.
“If we reduce the VAT by three per cent, it means those persons who have the least disposable income would get some kind of reprieve,” Thomas said.
Thomas suggested government could lower the rate in phases, proposing a reduction from 16 to 14 per cent initially, followed by a further cut by the Christmas season.
“It would show… popular applause from a broad section of the population if it were to reduce this VAT,” he said.
Rather than imposing additional taxes, Thomas said government should focus on improving tax collection and ensuring that businesses and individuals pay what is already owed.
He pointed to past audits of large companies that allegedly uncovered underpayments and said stronger enforcement could generate needed revenue.
“All of this is intended to raise money for the country,” Thomas said. “It helps them to buy medicine, it helps them to patch the road, it helps them to fix the schools.”
Thomas also cautioned against adopting austerity measures, warning that cuts to spending or tax increases could deepen poverty and unemployment.
“We know that we have high unemployment in St. Vincent, we have high poverty. If we want to do austerity… then we are going to be cutting off our nose to please our face,” he said.
While critical of the IMF recommendations, Thomas said the government should chart its own policy path based on local realities and the needs of Vincentians.