President Irfaan Ali has reiterated his commitment to increasing Guyana’s income tax threshold to $200,000 before the end of the current term of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). This initiative is aimed at enhancing disposable income for workers across the country. During the Enmore Martyrs Day observance, Ali informed attendees that the government plans to continue raising the income threshold for employees. He stated, “The new base now is a new threshold, and we said that before the end of this term, that new base will be $200,000 upon which our workers would stand, $200,000 tax-free.”
If implemented, this increase would represent a significant rise from the $65,000 threshold that was in place when the PPP/C returned to office in 2020. Since then, the government has made several adjustments through national budgets, increasing the threshold from $75,000 in 2022 to $85,000 in 2023, $100,000 in 2024, $130,000 in 2025, and $140,000 in the 2026 budget. These adjustments have contributed to a reduction in the tax burden on lower-income earners.
Government statistics indicate that the most recent increase has removed approximately 5,000 workers from the income tax net, resulting in over $2 billion being returned to taxpayers through increased disposable income. Addressing the workers at the event, Ali emphasized that these increases are part of the government’s broader efforts to enhance living standards.
He remarked, “It is the People’s Progressive Party that has successfully increased the base upon which every worker in this country stands.” Ali also highlighted salary increases and pension adjustments as achievements of the current administration. He noted, “Five years ago, the struggle was for a higher threshold. We delivered. The struggle was for higher salaries. We delivered. The struggle was for a better pension. We delivered.”
According to the President, the government’s goal extends beyond merely achieving a specific tax-free threshold. He stated that the aim is to create opportunities for workers and their families to attain higher living standards over time. “Our level for the workers is not a hundred thousand. Our level is to move them from one status to the next status, so that their children can enjoy a different level upon which they start their base,” he explained. This pledge aligns with the government’s ongoing emphasis on various tax relief measures introduced since 2020, with the income tax threshold increases being among the most notable policies aimed at enhancing take-home pay for workers.
Source: hgptv.com
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