The current legislature cut the Business Privilege Tax (BPT) by 0.5%, costing the government about $40, for this fiscal year. If the law does not change, the BPT will be cut a further 0.5%, which means revenue will have decreased about $80 million. Eliminating that much revenue from the government of Guam sacrifices good fiscal …
Continue reading "Restore the BPT to fund urgent priorities"
During this season, we celebrate compassion and togetherness. From nature and the work of the current and previous generations, we have built a wealthy society that can provide a good living for all our people. Despite the values we share and the means we have, too many in our community are deprived of a fair …
The military buildup on Guam is a fact of life that cannot be ignored. It has brought jobs, mostly for military contractors, but it has also raised the cost of living for working people. It has benefited the few at the expense of the many. Landlords are doing better than they otherwise might have been, …
The Guam Legislature is currently considering a proposal to cut the Business Privilege Tax (BPT) by 1%. Unfortunately, if it passes, the benefits will be concentrated among a few wealthy business owners, while the costs will be borne by the working class. To their credit, proponents of the BPT cut have avoided claiming that the …
Continue reading "Cutting BPT harms working class, benefits only a few big businesses"
In the recent Pacific Daily News story, “Nearly 800 GovGuam jobs could be impacted in Trump’s proposed 2026 budget,” reporters noted that more than 780 positions within the Government of Guam may be affected by proposed federal spending cuts. The agencies most likely to be impacted include the Department of Public Health and Social Services, …
The cost of living in Guam has surged, but wages have barely budged. Prices, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose 6.4% from the third quarter of 2023 to the third quarter of 2024, according to the latest figures from Guam’s Bureau of Statistics and Plans. What $100 could buy just a year ago …
Continue reading "The cost of living is up, so why aren’t wages?"
Recently, disgraced former President Donald J. Trump was convicted of 34 separate felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up campaign finance violations. These crimes and Trump's conduct over his career in politics and business expose a shameful side of political and economic life. Holding elected office is a position of public trust, but …
Continue reading "Economic Justice and Politics of Empowerment"
Recently, the Guam Department of Labor released its quarterly Unemployment Report for June 2023. By conventional analysis, with an unemployment rate of only 4%, Guam's economy is essentially at full employment. The recent release of Current Employment Reports tell essentially the same story. There is a minor caveat, that somewhat more of the employment than …
In the months since typhoon Mawar struck our island, we have seen the outcome of decades of underinvestment in hardened physical capital, the services of our government, and the resiliency of working class families.Typhoon Mawar has damaged and destroyed hundreds of millions in physical capital that our people have built over decades. Following the passage …
Continue reading "Address the needs of Guam’s working families"
Decorum is behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety. Unfortunately, Senator Chris Duenas has chosen to abandon decorum when it comes to how he speaks about just compensation for GovGuam workers. The other day, Chris Duenas called into former Senator Robert Klitzkie's show "Tall Tales" at The Point. Chris was calling to continue to …
GuamMinimumWage.org 