Credible information received by Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly suggests that the government is secretly planning to increase the road tax on vehicles. The tax which is charged on the capacity of a vehicle (CC) was introduced some ten years ago. Owners of vehicles had to pay one rupee per cc to the government. The tax is unpopular amongst the owners of vehicles as it originally increased the tax by as much as one thousand percent. Although the government promised that the money raised by the tax was going to be used to re-surface and repair roads, thus benefiting everybody, this has not been the case. The public roads all over Mahe, but more so at Glacis are in a state of neglect and disrepair. Many pot holes have become pronounced and apparent and more often than not, cause substantial damage to vehicles using the roads as well as countless accidents. The tax, when imposed, will be the last nail in the coffin for Seychellois as the majority of ordinary family who has saved for years to be able to buy a car, will now have an additional tax burden, as the tax will come on the back of the already burdensome GST, fuel tax and devaluation of the rupee, all introduced on President James Michel’s watch.
The government for its part has not batted an eyelid as the US$230, 000, 000 taken by the government on the international financial market and which carries interest at 9.5% need to be repaid by 2011. Although the Minister for Finance, Mr. Danny Faure, assured the National Assembly that the loan with interest will be paid using direct foreign investment, the issue has raised more questions than answers. It is a known secret that the government has given a carte blanche to investors to entice them to invest in