LAST week Sunday there was an excellent depiction that accompanied the article from my friend and colleague, the beautiful Mrs Tamara Scott- Williams, and I roared with laughter.

The topic was about GCT on some imported basic foods, but the implications may not have been so clear. For me who has spent most of my life in the purchasing, manufacturing and selling of food the joke was clear.

I looked at the pictures of all the familiar products and wondered why corned beef was being taxed, but mackerel was not (as other fish is subject to GCT). Then it hit me squarely as the nicknames of both products are well known by those who care to venture below Cross Roads. Corned beef is affectionately known as “bully beef” in deference to an old brand that is no longer sold in Jamaica.

On the other hand, the famous 5 oz tin of mackerel in tomato sauce is consumed daily on worksites and farms along with hard dough bread and pear (when in season). This working person’s lunch is popular, and over the years the 5 oz tin has been re-named “Dutty Gyal”. The word is used as a sales request at every over-the-counter retail establishment in town or country.

Can you begin to imagine the uproar, protest, laughter, and derision if the GCT had been imposed? I can see the headlines now: ‘Government taxes Dutty Gyal!’ This would be cheap fodder for the talk show hosts and their callers, and the post-Cabinet briefing would be extremely raucous. Thank the Lord that there is no such name for patties. Tell me; is there any additional tax on ‘John Crow Batty rum’? Ah, if only every day could be filled with laughter.

But back to reality and serious business as we try to get out of a very deep hole. There is a matter that I have written on several times, and that is the growth of our GDP overall, and especially in relation to our borrowings. Real production lies at the base of this rather than financial growth that may produce nothing real apart from paper profits.

The real production lies in two major areas. Firstly, for local consumption and import substitution; this provides for self-reliance and foreign exchange earnings. Therefore farming for the local market displaces the need for many costly imported products, and reduces a strain on our foreign exchange needs and improves our balance of payments position. So does local manufacturing, and this straddles both major areas.

Secondly, production for export needs to be a focus that goes beyond the “theory” of tourism as an exporter that requires waivers, and therefore similar treatment should be considered for growth in exports of goods. This would really wake up the private and productive sectors and encourage them to think beyond Miami houses, St Lucian corporations and Cayman Bank accounts.

I asked a group of persons in an informal setting how many had been to the USA or UK. 100 per cent of them answered in the affirmative. The response to Guyana, and Suriname was 0 per cent, and if that does not tell us something then I must be sadly mistaken, as both are part of Caricom and allow our products in duty free. We need a system that rewards us for export and gives us an incentive to earn foreign exchange.

Now there is a reality that faces us (Jamaica) in particular, and Caricom in general, and that is related to preferential trade agreements (not that these have really been utilised to date). We have negotiated as a group, but we must recognise that each country has its own focus. Trinidad has LNG and methanol, Jamaica has bauxite and rum, Guyana and Suriname have rice, and Barbados has services. What a motley assortment!

I am not aware of many other areas of interest, but in fact, most of our potential exports are allowed duty free in the CBI (USA), and CARIBCAN (Canada), and to a lesser extent the now troubled European Union. These arrangements have expiry and/or renewal dates under the WTO waiver process. It is fair to say that we have not taken any advantage of the trade arrangements that are intentionally lopsided in our favour.

We have, as a region, been extremely lethargic in accessing all of our agreements, including those with the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, and Venezuela. But a lack of initiative on our behalf (mainly the private sectors’) is not the only problem. We are presently allowing a dangerous discussion about a withdrawal from Caricom, mainly due to our dislike of Trinidad.

Stop and think of the legal ramifications of no longer being a signatory to the agreements and consider the consequences. The USA, Canada, and the EU have stated that they had no time or inclination to negotiate with the individual members of Caricom. Therefore, without that grouping we would have no trade status and a technical and monetary inadequacy to negotiate on our own, even if the other parties were willing.

This would constitute a truly stupid action if I am correct, and the relevant ministers need to quell this distracting argument immediately. This is akin to the fallacy of “winning Independence” without fighting. The past 50 years have been really less than stellar from an economic and developmental perspective. In fact, all of our “small island” federation partners have done far better than we have. This can in no way be blamed on Caricom.

Our current situation is extremely bad and most of us have to find jobs or create jobs for ourselves. The IMF and the World Bank and other multilateral donors have absolutely no moral obligation to support our deluded state of mind that refuses to accept that we have failed, and must now prepare ourselves to resit the examination. This requires a commitment to study and hard work in order to achieve some measure of success.

We have left this reality behind as we focus on being the toast of the London Olympics, as if that will ease our economic woes. “Feel good” is a fragile sentiment even as our main hope, Mr Usain Bolt, feels comfortable returning from a party at 5:00 am. Suppose (God forbid) he had been injured and unable to participate, where would our hopes be? Look, it is an attitude that is faulty after returning from more than 12 hours travel from a meet.

Most people say that he is a big man and should be responsible for his own actions, and that may be true. However, he is, by himself, an important asset and just as Elizabeth Taylor insured her breasts, and as a result had to exercise certain precautions, so should Usain. That is why people of his stature employ coaches and management to maximise their potential profits, and thus need to subject themselves to some prudent rules.

This habit of simply saying “big man a big man” does not work with valuable assets, and even at the normal workplace, employees, management, and directors have to abide by certain agreed rules. Most workers cannot arrive at work drunk, under the influence of drugs, or even be late every morning.

We have great hopes that Usain Bolt will do this country proud, but even more, I hope he earns every available dollar to keep him in reasonable comfort long after his running days are over and will avoid dying as a pauper as many famous persons have done over the decades. Good luck to him and all others who possess these natural assets.