…calls for Government to intervene
The Private Sector Commission (PSC) today issued a passionate call for the government to intervene in the current impasse, between the citizens of Georgetown and the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), “which has virtually crippled retail business in the city”.
In a statement issued earlier today, the PSC said it has 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 Mayor and City Council have 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 statement noted.
The PSC said that in an integrated economy such as that of Guyana, the success or failure of one sector has spinoff effects upon the country as a whole. “Our 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. Is this Local Government Organ now free to make policies which run counter to the national interest?”.
The PSC is therefore appealing to President David Granger and his Cabinet “to quash this illegal contract which threatens to stymie the existence of our retail business sector”.
The parking meter project, since its introduction, has met with severe criticisms with several stakeholders, including the Opposition PPP/C calling for it to be scrapped. Stakeholders claim that not only was the project poorly conceived and implemented, but more importantly, it is considered a huge burden on citizens who are already finding it difficult to meet their basic expenses.
Since its implementation drivers in the City have also been doing everything they can to avoid taking up the paid parking spaces.
