Trade Minister and St. Paul MP EP Chet Greene on Friday announced an expanded list of zero-rated food items, a measure he said will provide immediate cost-of-living relief beginning this week and continuing well into the new year.
Greene told Parliament that 48 items have now been approved for zero-rating after Antigua and Barbuda successfully sought CARICOM’s suspension of the Common External Tariff on key consumer foods. “Consumers will not pay any taxes” on the newly listed goods, he said, noting the change brings “a savings for Christmas” and will remain in effect for at least six months.
The expanded list covers a wide range of vegetables, fruits, cereals, oils and infant-care products. Items now zero-rated include potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, mixed vegetables, split peas, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, pigeon peas and oranges. Also listed are grapefruits, lemons, limes, apples, pears, apricots, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, loganberries and kiwifruit.
Cereals such as cream of wheat, rolled oats and other flaked varieties are included, along with extra-virgin and virgin olive oil, coconut oil, corn oil, vegetable oils, canned corned beef, sardines, mackerel and stuffed pasta. Prepared cereal foods, canned peas, canned corn, preserved fruits, baby food and infant formulas also qualify.
Greene said the list was designed to promote healthier eating while easing financial pressure on families. “The list includes some of the things that we talk about when we talk about healthy eating,” he said, adding that the intention is to ensure “every strata of society has the ability to eat healthy to maintain a healthy nation.”
Oversight of the new zero-rated regime will fall to the Prices and Consumer Affairs Division. Greene publicly commended its director and staff for their work managing the consumer-protection environment, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Greene also signaled that the government may extend the six-month period depending on economic conditions. “We will continue to check cost of living… and if necessary… we will seek a further extension,” he said.
The initiative forms part of a broader suite of government interventions, including ongoing subsidies on LPG and electricity, aimed at reducing pressure on household budgets.
