PM HARRIS WILL DISCUSS GENEROUS COVID-19 STIMULUS PACKAGE THIS SATURDAY (APRIL 11TH) ON WINNFM’S INSIDE THE NEWS, WHICH WILL BE SIMULCAST LIVE ON MAJOR MEDIA OUTLETS

April 10^th, 2020

Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris will be the Special Guest on WINN (98.9) FM’s Inside the News (listen live at www.winnfm.com) tomorrow, Saturday, April 11^th, 2020, from 11:00am.

The Prime Minister’s Inside the News appearance will be simulcast LIVE on ZIZ TV (Channel 5 or https://zizonline.com/tv/channel-5/), ZIZ Radio (95.9, 96.1, 96.3, 96.9 FM or https://zizonline.com/radio/live/), Freedom (106.5) FM, Sugar City (90.3) FM and VON Radio (860 AM or 93.7 FM), as well as across social media including the Facebook and YouTube pages of the St. Kitts and Nevis Information Service (SKNIS) and ZIZ.

Medical Chief of Staff at the Joseph N. France General Hospital, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson will join the Prime Minister on Inside the News to discuss operational aspects of health service delivery.

The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis will discuss the federal government’s $120 million stimulus package, details of which he announced at his press conference on Tuesday, March 24^th.

“Decisions that I will announce today will help lock down our borders, improve our food security, support our workers, our farmers, our businesses and homeowners during this period of difficulty and stress,” Prime Minister Harris said back then before announcing the details of the generous stimulus package, which has been widely praised by the public for the breadth and depth of its measures to stimulate the economy.

The wide-ranging package includes the postponement of the payment of property tax from June to September 2020, the removal of VAT and import duty for six months on certain hygiene products, the removal of import duty and customs service charge for six months on cold and cough preparations, fruits, fruit juices, vegetables and vitamins, as well as the waiving of payments for water consumption from April to June 2020 for individuals who have been laid off or who experience a reduction in earnings as a consequence of COVID-19.

The stimulus package also introduces a tax incentive for businesses that retain at least 75 percent of their employees – they will see an almost 25 percent reduction in the corporate income tax rate, from 33 percent to 25 percent, for April to June 2020.  Under the stimulus package, there will also be a 50 percent reduction in the unincorporated business tax rate, from 4.0 percent to 2.0 percent, for the period April to June 2020.

Additionally, the government will inject $10 million into the agriculture industry to boost production and ensure greater food security.  Water consumption payments by farmers will also be waived for the period April to September 2020.

For full details of the COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Package, please log on to http://www.covid19stimulus.gov.kn/.