Mama Kandeh, leader of opposition Gambia Democratic Congress, has told President Adama Barrow that the Gambian people are “too poor to increase their taxes”. 

Barrow recently announced that his government will increase tax by January 2024 to fund his development programmes for the country. 

Speaking in Jimara during the weekend, Kandeh said: “I want to tell President Adama Barrow that I am aware that no country can function properly without tax, but let him know that this small country called the Gambia is a poor country. It is a small country with underprivileged people. It is a small country where people struggle to get food.”

“They are only depending on the government. I am not telling people not to pay tax but reduce your salaries and cover it with the taxes. But only the underprivileged are paying and you people are increasing your salaries every day, and you are not doing what they expected from you. There’s no truth in that,” he added.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba