The 2009-2010 Budget has added more pain to the people’s suffering, says political leader of the Congress of the People (COP) Winston Dookeran.

’There is a lot more pain on the shoulders of the people, especially with the news of increased taxation on property. Many people will be unable to pay their taxes... there is a future risk of loss of property,’ Dookeran said yesterday.

’The major effect of this budget is the transfer of the burden because of Government’s lack of performance onto the people’s shoulders,’ he added.

’There was a lot of fluff in the budget. I think when you go behind the political spin that was put into it, there is a feeling of bankruptcy in terms of the analysis,’ said Dookeran.

He feels that many of the measures outlined would not make a major difference to the economy.

Noting that contractors would now get more access to public sector work, Dookeran said this would not have a major effect, but stressed ’they should not have been denied that right in the first place’.

’I am somewhat very surprised that so little attention was paid to the issue of crime and public safety. Just a matter of two or three minutes in what I think is perhaps the number one problem we are facing,’ he said.

Dookeran said the national budget has raised a number of concerns, and it was evident that Government does not know how to come out of the slump where the country is placed.