Call for regional basket of goods

Tue, June 19, 2012 - 5:52 PM

Opposition Senator Kerrie Symmonds wants Government to make sure price escalation in Barbados is controlled, so as to provide local consumers an avenue to better utilise disposable income.

And he feels CARICOM can play a part by coming up with a basket of goods for the entire region through the use of common external tariffs, which would slow Caribbean made products to flourish in each jurisdiction.

Symmonds, an attorney-at-law, made the suggestion in the Senate chamber today, as members debated to move the passing of a resolution to note and approve Protocol VI of the Social Partnership.

Noting that Barbados should be extremely proud of it’s tri-partite arrangement consisting of Government, the Private Sector and the Trade Unions and its achievements in national development, Symmonds said the ball is now in the court of CARICOM, through it’s single market and economy, to make subsequent protocols even stronger.

“Our country has been going through economic difficulties for almost four years now, and it is clear that we must control price escalation,” Symmonds told the Upper Chamber.

“We have not brought undue or unfair pressure on the otherwise of that scale, but we have to make sure every step is taken to contain price escalation. There has been price escalation, but not all because of Government,” the opposition senator admitted. “But there is something the Government should be able to do.”

Symmonds said he still wonders why countries have not gone forth to CARICOM regarding the possibility of making arrangements to shelter consumers and contain price surges. (BA)