Robert Lalah, Staff Reporter
DEMAND FOR cornmeal dumplings and pickled mackerel may soon hit the roof, as they will be among the few food items for which consumers will not have to pay more after the implementation of a 1.5 per cent increase in the General Consumption Tax (GCT)) on May 1.
The tax, which is applied to consumer spending on most goods and services, is set to be increased from 15 per cent to 16.5 per cent, as announced by Finance Minister, Dr. Omar Davies, in his Budget presentation last week.
But what exactly will this mean for the average consumer's grocery bill? To get a handle on the situation, The Gleaner made up a shopping list of some basic household necessities. We also visited some supermarkets to determine the average costs of these goods, pulled out our calculators and went to work.
The situation gets even hairier, as women who are accustomed to silky smooth legs will now have to dig deeper into their pockets to keep them that way. The cost of a can of Satin Care shaving cream moves from $286.69 to $290.43.
The important thing, however, is not to stress yourself too much and get a headache. But if you do, be prepared to spend a bit extra on a strip of Panadol pain tablets. This moves from $32.83 to $33.26.
Some food items which do not attract GCT are brown sugar, eggs, salt, sardine, infant formula, saltfish, oats, mackerel, shad, bread, bun, crackers, herring, soya oil, coconut oil and margarine.
| Item with | 15% GCT | with 16.5 % |
| Lux soap | | $36.80 | | $37.28 |
| Colgate toothpaste | $155.25 | | $157.27 |
| Matches (10-pack) | | $26.45 | | $26.80 |
| Ajax bleach | | $45.54 | | $46.13 |
| Sutil toilet paper | | $26.45 | | $26.80 |
| Horlicks (packet) | | $77.97 | | $78.99 |
| Lasco ketchup | | $47.72 | | $48.34 |
| Royal rubbing alcohol | $123.51 | | $125.12 |
| Gallon tru-Juice | $339.82 | | $344.25 |
| Total | $879.51 | | $890.98 |
