BVI to begin regulated basket of goods December 1
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley announced that the government’s regulated basket of goods programme will begin on December 1, as part of efforts to make essential food items more affordable for residents struggling with rising living costs.
Speaking at a government press conference on Friday, Dr Wheatley said the initiative will ensure that basic food items remain within reach for the most vulnerable members of society.
“We are in the process of implementing a regulated basket of goods to ensure that affordable foods are available to the most vulnerable,” he stated.
The Premier explained that mechanisms were being put in place to manage and track how the savings would reach consumers. “This requires mechanisms to be put in place, such as the collection of data, so we can manage and track that savings are passed along to the consumers,” he said.
He added that Customs had been instructed to make specific adjustments to help regulate the importation of the selected items.
“A critical part of this was to capture the volume of items coming into the territory. This required certain adjustments to be made by Customs to regulate the brokerage clearing process. This mechanism was finalised last week, and the requirements for Customs clearance of the baskets of goods will begin December 1,” he explained.
Dr Wheatley said discussions had also begun with import brokers and suppliers to ensure that implementation runs smoothly. “Communication with the food importation brokers and suppliers is also being done,” he noted.
The announcement follows months of public concern about the cost of living in the Virgin Islands, with food prices climbing amid global inflation and import costs.
He reiterated that the new system for the basket of goods was one part of a broader plan to strengthen the social safety net and protect those most affected by inflation.
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Another messy mess of handouts to friends and such
and such frkm the island chajn
The elderly and Tolians will continue to be shat upon.
It will be retracted by Christmas when HOA13 (with their $100,000 raises) find out the VI people unlike them do not have champagne and caviar in their regular basket of goods.
Not Months of Concern. Years Since 2019 people continuously crying for a Fair Living Wage But to No avail.
This country is only catering for poor people?
What exactly does “regulated basket of goods” mean?
Will there be a strict price ceiling set for each item in the “basket”?
How are the items determined? Will consideration be given to persons needing specialty food items like “gluten-free flour”. Will we just assume that everyone eats the same thing and disregard the vegetarian or the concientious Rasta or SDA?
What sort of enforcement is applicable in the event of non-compliance by retailers? Fines, jail-time, public-shaming, withdrawal of preferential concessions?
What sort of concessions will be granted to retailers / wholesalers to ensure that they make a reasonable profit, while still ensuring that the consumer is not overpaying for said good? Lower customs duties, etc?
These are just of the few questions that need to be addressed before giving me a “feel-good” speech with little to no substance behind it. The proof is in the pudding, as they say… show me, don’t tell me.
If they comply, just know profits will be generated from other items. So while the basket of goods may be more afordable “whatever that means” other items will be jacked up!
I have lost trust in their words because they promised minimum wage increase and only part was delivered. They then promoted to raise the tax exemption but did not follow thru. This basket program will be another promise that provides no changes.
Reading these comments, I thinks some people misunderstand what this term means. It’s not giving free food to anyone. It’s monitoring the price of selected food items over a period of time. This is done by selecting staple items that everyone purchase and monitoring the prices of these items a various supermarket and convenient stores. Usually this is done every three months. Eg purchasing a 5lb box of chicken, rice, milk, bread, cheese, eggs, and monitoring the prices over a three month period. At the end another check will be done to see if prices increase or decrease. It will also give you a hint of where your dollar stretches the most.
That’s not what the Premier said. Your interpretation merely involves more civil servants spending precious money collecting data, with no discernable benefit for the people.
As I know, from collecting similar data myself over the years, it is very hard to decide what fits into the chosen “basket” to monitor or regulate. If it’s hard and open to considerable interpretation, the end-result will be costly and meaningless.
Is this policy about monitoring the cost of a proverbial basket of goods with the goal of customs, etc., making adjustments to try to lower the cost of a proverbial basket of goods for those at the lowest rung of the economic ladder? Was something similar tried before and was abandoned?
How if a little non-revolutionary socialism is tried, perhaps making the process easier. Suggest establishing a means testing Universal Basic Income ( UBI) programme with a sunset clause. What is an UBI programme? It is a programme to provide a money allocation to a specific group of people, eg,,people at or below the poverty level , etc.
Leonard, home boy , you may be on to something out this labyrinth maze being proposed. Your proposed UBI look like it has some merit to get help to the working poor. I still has a bone to pick with you diaspora loving your country from afar. Y’all need to come home and contribute.
@ E. Leonard, you didn’t list what a proverbial basket of goods entail . A typical basket includes food and beverage, medical care, recreation, transportation, education, clothing, utilties, housing, telecommunication, etc . What would be a practical allocation and to whom ? What does means testing mean?
&E. Leonard, do you realize that the BVI is a capitalist country, not a socialist or communist. Non-revolutionary socialism is not consistent with capitalism, We like and want to keep capitalism.