But Finnegan is also the Minister of Housing and following the ground breaking ceremony of the Michael Finnegan Market Project he had some very good news of his own that should relieve the burden of poor families by simply writing off that they owe housing for their properties.
Hon. Michael Finnegan, Minister of Housing
“You see all those lot of money which poor people owe at the Ministry of Housing for rental over the years where government lent poor people money for housing and their house rent which they are to pay, man poor people can’t pay house rent, poor people got thousand and one pickney to send to school, they have healthcare to look after for their family. They can’t make the house rent and I have taken to Cabinet some months ago, I had an announcement of this and the Ministry shortly will write off millions of dollars of rental owing to the Ministry of Housing which has been there for years, which poor people just cannot pay and there is no need to continue to send out letters and send out the bills and so, notice of arrears, and summons and all those things. That is costing the government more and most of those things are sent to poor people who just cannot afford it.
Like take for instance the government money given out from the Venezuela money that was implemented by the former administration. It was on a loan basis. I have recommended to government also and they have agreed that all that will be written off. Not from those who can pay, those who can pay and got piece of the Venezuelan money, pay they will pay and I will make sure that they pay, but all those small people who got that money, I don’t care if it was for a election gimmick, write it off and make the people go home and sleep in peace.
I spend thousands of dollars in Mesopotamia division on education for my people. When I say thousands I mean thousands of dollars I spend on education for the children and the young people in the Mesopotamia division.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“I know you are speaking about the poorer class of families but do you know if there is any serious discussion by government to see that the high interest rates levied against families by commercial banks as well that something be done to lower them?”
Hon. Michael Finnegan,
“Well there are discussions on that but that is a matter for the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance. He would be able to answer that more adequately. Remember I am the Minister of Housing.”
And while the poor will be getting a break by having their rental owed to the Ministry of Housing written off, there’s no relief on the horizon for middle income families – many whose homes are in the paper weekly - and it remains to be seen what if anything government can do to get commercial banks to lower high interest rates. In July Prime Minister Dean Barrow told 7News it would be a complex issue but one that he and the Governor of the Central Bank have been discussing.
