KINGSTON, Jamaica—The highly anticipated election debate on the economy got underway on Tuesday night with Finance and the Public Service Minister, Fayval Williams describing the People’s National Party’s (PNP) plan to move the income tax threshold to $3.5 million as “the biggest political scam since the history of Jamaica”.

Williams was rebutting a response from Opposition Spokesman on Finance, Julian Robinson on how much its income tax threshold increase will cost taxpayers and which programmes will be adjusted to accommodate the increase.

In response, Robinson reiterated that the PNP is committed to increasing the tax threshold in April 2026 without increasing new taxes.

“This will be funded from revenue growth, which, currently, based on the one per cent growth, is projected to generate an additional revenue of a $140 billion over a three-year period,” said Robinson.

Additionally, he said sums will come from within the budget.

“As a political party, we would have our own priorities and we look at the… budget and make adjustments there, but we will begin implementing the $3.5 million [income tax] threshold April 2026,” he indicated.

In her rebuttal, Williams poured the proverbial cold water on the PNP’s arguments.

“Lies, lies, lies. It cannot be done without imposing new taxes on the backs of Jamaicans. Your $3.5 [million income tax threshold increase] is the biggest political scam since the history of Jamaica. It cannot be done!” the minister declared.

In a follow-up question, Robinson said the cost of increasing the income tax threshold by the PNP would cost $55 billion.

He emphasised that the PNP would not implement all its programmes at once, ensuring that fiscal integrity is maintained.

The debate on the economy features the PNP’s Robinson, Peter Bunting, and Kisha Anderson going up against the JLP’s Fayval Williams, Dr Christopher Tufton, and Dr Dana Morris-Dixon.

Nationwide News Network’s George Davis is the moderator of the debate on the economy. Questions are being posed by Our Today’s Al Edwards and Television Jamaica’s (TVJ) Andrea Chisholm. The social media editor is CVM Television’s Amoy Harriott, who is fielding questions from Jamaicans on social media.

The debates staged by the Jamaica Debates Commission began on Saturday with the social debate, featuring Matthew Samuda, Kamina Johnson-Smith, and Pearnel Charles of the JLP going up against Damion Crawford, Sophia Frazer-Binns, and Raymond Pryce of the PNP.

On Thursday night, the big two – Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding – will go head-to-head in the final debate ahead of the polls.

-Ansray Thomas