Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Gov’t’s clampdown on unjustified price increases ‘simply just hot air’- Marlon A. Penn

Gov’t’s clampdown on unjustified price increases ‘simply just hot air’- Marlon A. Penn

Opposition Leader and Representative of the Eighth District Hon Marlon A. Penn has slammed the announced attempt by the Government of the Virgin Islands to take action to mitigate unjustified price increases as just ‘a smoke screen’ and ‘hot air’.

Premier and Minister of Finance Hon Andrew A. Fahie had announced during an address to the Territory on March 13, 2022, that a task force will be monitoring the prices at service stations and supermarkets in an attempt to protect consumers from price gouging, as some businesses have already 'unjustifiably' hiked their prices.

"I send this stern warning that government is watching and is hereby strongly recommending that persons refrain from unethical business practices," Premier and Minister of Finance Hon Andrew A. Fahie stated during a special address to the territory this evening, March 13, 2022.

The Premier's appeal was directed to those businesses in the Virgin Islands that have not received new stock since the recent military events began in Europe but have already increased prices with the current stock at hand and have claimed that the prices of their latest shipment of goods have increased.

The announcement had received favourable response from the public, who were complaining daily about unjustifiable price increases and the need for consumer protection.

Premier and Minister of Finance Hon Andrew A. Fahie, during a special address to the territory on March 13, 2022, urged business to refrain from engaging in unethical practices.


Smokescreen & hot air- Hon Penn


However, according to the Opposition Leader in a press statement today, March 15, 2022, without sound knowledge, proper structures, processes, and methodologies, and without enforcement capacity and legal authority; “the attempt is a smokescreen, simply just hot air!”

According to Hon Penn, Government’s efforts would have been better placed on engaging levers that it controls and can immediately implement to better the lives of Virgin Islanders and offset the very real impacts of current events.

“Why not then establish a temporary reduction of import taxes on specific goods (including gas and oil)? An effective mechanism such as this could be quickly implemented to ensure that savings are being passed on to consumers.”

He also labelled ‘equally as important’ that Public Officers and other technical advisers must be fully utilised to ensure policymakers are properly advised and programmes effectively designed and implemented to deliver their intended outcomes.

“Unlike the failed stimulus programme,” Hon Penn stated.

Effects of war being monitored- Premier Fahie


It should be noted that Premier Fahie had stated on March 13, 2022, that Government has established an Ad-Hoc Working Group to monitor the effects of the war and to recommend measures for immediate consideration and implementation by Government.

According to the Premier, it is to “assist in helping to minimise the economic blow that is inevitable from the effects of the conflict.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×