The Editor, Sir:

When I saw the list of items to be taxed, I burst out laughing. I really thought it was a joke. Then I continued reading and I was shocked. I said to myself, this Government must be tired of being in office and is looking for an easy way of escape while saving face. I wonder if the Government knows the legendary story of why Marie Antoinette lost her head in the French Revolution?

It seems that Audley Shaw did not get it the first time he tried to tax salt. Salt tax is a metaphor for mean-spirited state extortion. The mean spirited extortionate nature of the taxes which are being imposed is not sitting well with anyone I know.

What are we getting?

What are you offering us for the additional taxes Mr Shaw? Is the murder rate going to be reduced on January 1, 2010?

Just for the record, Mr and Mrs Brown are peaceful, hard-working farmers who educated their three children each to be an asset to the country. One daughter is a paediatric oncologist, another a finance manager and a son who is a teacher at in one of our high schools. The Browns were brutally murdered last week in their home in which they lived for more than 30 years.

Can you assure their children that the murderers will be caught, tried and punished? If not, why not? If you can't, why should we pay you more taxes for failure? The job of government is first to ensure the security of the citizens of this country. Until you do that, you cannot ask for one cent more, International Mone-tary Fund or not. Dead people can't pay taxes and the question is, whose name is on the next bullet?

Where are people who are not working or not receiving a raise going to get the additional money to pay higher taxes?

It is the Government who must find a way to raise revenue other than taxing sanitary products and salt or the food that poor people eat. Then, to add insult to injury, you plan to charge 17.5 per cent GCT on rent. Are they crazy? No landlord could get away with that! This is as unrighteous as any government can get.

Give us vision

If there is no vision then please humble yourselves, bow your knees and, like a child, yes, a little child, ask God: "Give us vision lest we perish." Until you get an answer which we know will not include taxing salt or the like, you cannot come back to the Jamaican people to ask us to pay one cent more in taxes!

I could not care less for the PNP as government after 18 years of corruption, but I am willing to bet that the primary school children, who happen to be very bright and clear eyed, can be called upon to run this country better than what either party has to offer now. They will get rid of the violence, corruption, laziness and political tomfoolery.

I am, etc.,

YVONNE O. COKE

yvonne_coke@hotmail.com

2 Acacia Avenue

Kingston 5