Yes I have to cutback on shoes but the world won't end

Off the top of my head:

I really wish people would stop being so dramatic.

At the most basic level government had to boost revenue while reducing expenditure since they were spending more than they were earning.

I believe they should’ve taken action sooner and the reason they lagged was that they expected the global economy to recover sooner and/or put too much emphasis on the tourism sector pulling the island out.

That being said, the major economies continue to struggle and as much as our economy depends on theirs, we have to implement our own measures.

The options are few and increased taxation in some form was therefore a given. So yes, VAT was increased by 2.5% which means everything will go up. And yes, this will hit people really hard. So too will the increase in bus fare.

It’s fine to say you don’t like this. It’s fine to say you will have to take a second look at your budget. Of course you don’t want a reduction in your disposable income. But stop acting like government simply decided they wanted to make life hard. Cut and contrive like the old people would tell you they used to do.

Be thankful there were no cuts in social spending and primary school children will benefit from a textbook loan scheme. That will save some parents hundreds of dollars per year especially if they have more than one child going to one of the schools with extensive booklists.

Also, I know a lot of the people who are complaining aren’t the worst off and this is targeted at them, not the people who were genuinely struggling despite their best efforts.

 Most of us have simple things we can cut out or cut back.

Show some industry. Be innovative. Find (honest) ways to get by.