The National Democratic Movement (NDM) has voiced support for the personal income tax plan proposed by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), saying that while there is concern about the implementation, the plan is feasible.

“It is something that we believe can work,” NDM President Peter Townsend told the Jamaica Observer. “We have concern about how it will be implemented, but we endorse the principle and believe it’s workable, and we refute the argument of those who are critical of the proposal of phasing out personal income tax and replacing it with an equitable GCT.”

Townsend said that the tax plan, as well as the JLP’s commitment to term limits for prime ministers, the implementation of a fixed election date, and priority for early childhood education, were positions held by the NDM.

Under the JLP’s personal income tax plan, individuals earning up to $1.5 million annually would not pay income tax. People earning anything above $1.5 million up to $5 million per year would continue to be taxed at 25 per cent of their income in excess of the current threshold of $592,800, while people earning upwards of $5 million annually would be taxed at 25 per cent of their entire income.

“We have done the research, and the expert advice at the time was that it would have to be phasing over a five-year period of time for it to be successful in the sense that it doesn’t hurt the economy,“ said Townsend.

He said the development of early childhood education was also critical and endorsed the JLP’s proposal.

“We are hoping that that is done properly by ensuring that every basic school should have at least one government-paid and trained teacher for staff. If they do that, then they have our full support,” he added.

The other two policies, he said, would lead to better governance in Jamaica and help the political system.

When asked whether the party was concerned about not being credited for the policies, Townsend said: “We are happy to have given them four [tenets} of their 10-point-plan because we believe in country above party. We will celebrate it when they implement it because we don’t celebrate announcements… we didn’t come about because we are looking credit; the people who came in the NDM, and especially those who remained… we do so because we believe in the principles and we do so genuinely for our country.”

He said he is hoping the pronouncements are not just platitudes to garner votes, but will indeed be implemented for the country’s progress.

According to Townsend, this is not the first time the party’s policies and ideas have been adopted.

He stated that the Constituency Development Fund implemented by the JLP, which leaves a percentage of the budget for development of constituencies, was also an idea developed by the NDM.