Kellman shares his views on NSRL

ONE Cabinet Minister is suggesting that the National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL) is a saviour for retailers.

Minister of Housing, Denis Kellman, who defended Government’s decision to introduce the NSRL, which was raised from two to ten per cent in the recent Budget, made it clear that the Levy is not passed on to consumers as a tax.

“It comes as if it is a duty. In other words, if you go to the supermarket, you would not see VAT plus the cost. You will see one price. So the retailer now does not have to look every month to submit money to the Government.

“That is done at the distributor level. So the Government does not owe retailer or the retailer does not owe Government for the NSRL.

“Whereas with VAT, every two months, they have to be doing forms to show whether they owe Government or whether they are owed by Government,” Kellman said.

The Minister was speaking at yesterday’s Democratic Labour Party (DLP) lunchtime lecture at the Party’s George Street, Belleville, St. Michael headquarters, where he stated he was also concerned that major trade unions had gotten involved with the private sector to fight Government for raising the Levy.

He said the unions should be mindful that while the country is currently operating on losses, it was left with the difficult decision to either send home civil servants or increase revenue.

“What Government has opted to, is instead of sending home civil servants as was requested by other persons, they have opted to do the NSRL.

“They have asked every Barbadian to contribute a little to help their brothers and sisters out there. We are not selfish people; we know that Barbadians will help one another.

“Instead of you getting 100 per cent and another person losing 100, they have just asked you to give up ten per cent. And not ten per cent of your wages, but 10 per cent of your consumption,” Minister Kellman said. (AH)