Finance Minister Nazim Burke has announced that government is well on the way to putting in place the programmes promised to the electorate as a stop-gap measure to ease the financial burden on citizens.
Burke was at the time bringing the media up to date on his government's initiative to offer to each household two duty-free barrels containing foodstuff and personal effects.
The programme, estimated to cost the government just over two million dollars, will run from October1 to December 31, 2008.
During the election campaign, the then main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) made a number of promises as immediate measures to address the rising cost of living in the country if elected into Office.
Those promises include free school books which took effect from the start of the new school year in September at a cost of five million dollars, the two duty-free barrels for each household, the scrapping of the National Reconstruction Levy, and an increase in old age pension from one hundred and fifty dollars to four hundred dollars.
Burke explained to reporters at a press conference the method by which the duty-free barrels will come into fruition.
According to the Finance Minister, in an effort to safeguard people from exploiting the programme, each householder will be required to fill out a form giving some basic information.
Burke said that duties will be exempted on barrels that contain food stuff and personal effects.
He warned that Customs Officers will levy duties on persons with barrels that contain appliances and electronic devices.
"In our Customs laws, where you make false declarations to the Customs, or give false information to the Customs, a penalty may be imposed under the Customs Act," he said.
"It (the duty-free barrels) is the intention to help people to cope with the harsh cost of living at the moment," he added.
Burke argued that the revenue loss to government from the duty-free barrels is one way of providing services to the people.
He acknowledged that while the challenges are great, the new Congress government owes an obligation to the country to ensure that public servants are paid on time, and to offer some form of assistance to those who cannot cope on their own.
"The purpose of the revenues that we collect is to service the people. We are not collecting monies for the sake of collecting monies. We are collecting monies to provide services to the people.
"So if a way of offering services and assistance to people is by foregoing certain revenues and allowing them to import the item, this is another way of government's spending.
