A Gleaner team went on to Jamaica's streets, asking people what's next for them. How tough will it be for the average man next year, given the rough 12 months the country has undergone?

Given the recent tax package, what are your expectations for the new year?

Candice Wray (17), student:

I think that a lot of persons are going to starve. I don't know how people are going to survive from their income. The crime rate is definitely going to go up because when persons see others with things that they want and they cannot afford, they are going to turn to stealing.

Brienna Bailey (20), teacher

I don't have any expectations for the New Year. The New Year looks very sad. What are we going to do if our wages are going to be frozen for the next two years? The increase in tax is going to cause more crime and violence. Many persons are losing their jobs and they have bills to pay. What are these persons going to do?

Sharlet Cockren (26), administrative assistant

I think things are going to get rougher in the new year. Things look very bleak for the new year and I think that there is not much hope for the young persons in our country.

... While more persons chimed in on the question: What items, if any, do you think the Government should remove from its latest tax package?

Elaine Gardiner (72), retired administrative assistant

I think that the Government should not have increased the tax on staple food. The Government should think of the masses who are uneducated and unemployed. If there should be an increase on food items, staple foods should not have been included. It is the poor people who consume these food items and are more vulnerable. I believe that eggs should not be a part of the tax. The Government should not have a tax increase in the Christmas as this is not a good start for the new year.

Lamarr Ferguson (20), administrative clerk

Taxes should be removed from items like ground provisions and women's sanitary napkins, because I think those are unnecessary items to be taxed. Most of the items that are taxed are the things poor persons would normally buy, and I think most of them, like noodle soup and patties, are unnecessary to tax. It's going to pose a problem for those whose income is already budgeted out.