VAT Free day a gimmick says Opposition Leader, PM Friday says it provided tangible relief

WHILE PRIME MINISTER, Dr. Godwin Friday has hailed the success of his administration’s first Vat Free Day, Opposition Leader Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has referred to it as a gimmick, pointing out that no critical analysis has been provided to prove that is the case.

Friday, December 19, 2025 was the new government’s first VAT Free day, and many business places which signed on reported good patronage, and the Prime Minister said it was an “overwhelming success” and delivered real and tangible relief to Vincentians while providing a strong boost to the local economy.

Commenting on the initiative during a press conference on January 6, 2026 Dr. Gonsalves described the initiative as, “the gimmick of the VAT free day”, and took journalists to task for failing to question the benchmark used by the Prime Minister in concluding it was an overwhelming success.

“You have an obligation to analyse things for our readers,” Dr. Gonsalves pointed out, while noting that because one or two business places had a crowd on the day one must realize that on the days leading up to the VAT free day, people refused to shop as they were misguided about what actually was free from VAT.

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