THE EDITOR, Sir:

With the recent tax package announced by the minister of finance, Dr Peter Phillips, many individuals and interest groups have decried this decision.

However, there are questions I want to ask. What are the alternatives given our current fiscal situation? There is much talk about the enormous debt. Should the Government borrow more money? Are we forgetting that Jamaica is in very bad shape and is trying to get money from the International Monetary Fund; and, as such, must adhere to its recommendations?

Criticising whatever decisions that have been taken without presenting feasible alternatives clearly does not help our situation; but it only goes to show how insensitive we are to the predicament that the country is in.

Life in Jamaica is hard and getting harder still. Let us use our creative minds to find workable solutions to rescue our country.

IAN J. BLYTHE

ianjblythe@yahoo.com

Maryland, USA