The Private Sector Commission is urging the Government to intervene in the current impasse, between the citizens of Georgetown and the Mayor and City Council, which has virtually crippled retail business in the city.
The PSC in a statement today said it has received impassioned pleas of businesses which have seen their sales decline by as much as fifty percent since the introduction of metered parking in the city.
The body says the Mayor and City Council has displayed “unmatched arrogance in their refusal to engage businesses in any attempt to compromise and mitigate the ill effects of this scheme.”
The citizens, on whom the full brunt of this new de facto tax would fall, have made clear their refusal to be further burdened, the PSC pointed out.
It reminded that in an integrated economy such as that of Guyana, the success or failure of one sector has spin-off effects upon the country as a whole.
According to the PSC Government is aware that the failure of the retail sector would have a direct impact on the country’s Gross Domestic Product since the Wholesale/Retail Sector is an important contributor to growth. It questioned if the Local Government Organ is now free to make policies which run counter to the national interest.
The Private Sector Commission appeals to the President and his Cabinet to quash this “illegal contract “which threatens to stymie the existence of the retail business sector.
