PRIME MINISTER, Dr. Godwin Friday
News
May 8, 2026
Modernizing and reforming the tax system of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is one of the areas that the months-old Dr. Godwin Friday administration has identified that needs urgent attention.
“…property tax enforcement…we’ve said this in our Budget presentation in the parliament, where I’m told that the current compliance rate is 20%…. Saying it’s low, it’s an understatement…,” the prime minister said at a press briefing at Cabinet Room on April 28, 2026.
Dr. Friday was speaking at the end of a visit to SVG by a team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The visit which ran from April 21 to 28 was held so that the IMF’s 2026 Article IV consultation could take place. The team was headed by IMF economist Sergei Antoshin.
The IMF has identified several areas that should be tackled if the country is to improve its economic situation, among them modernizing several sectors- from energy to information technology to tax collection methods.
Dr. Friday said that government needs to make the tax collection system work without changing rates and without making any additional burdens.
“…simply enforcing it would be an approach that we will adopt to enhance our revenue strategy,” the PM said.
Click here to subscribe to read the full article in the E-paper!
