Senators delve into cutting cost of living
The Government is working with businesses to bring down prices on essential goods — but has no plans to force the issue.
Kim Wilkerson, the Attorney-General, told the Upper House yesterday that working with wholesalers and retailers in tackling Bermuda’s cost of living had yielded success so far.
Ms Wilkerson spoke after Lindsay Simmons, fellow government senator and the junior Home Affairs minister, discussed the essential goods relief initiative.
The scheme, launched as part of the Affordable Bermuda Agenda, involves wholesalers offering retail stores a 10 per cent cost reduction on certain items.
Stores will then offer customers a further 10 per cent discount on the products.
This programme launched on November 1 and is set to run for nine months, with businesses including Viking Foods, BGA, The MarketPlace and The Lindo’s Group participating.
Ms Simmons said: “This initiative is in addition to weekly in-store discounts and applies to essential categories such as baby formula, rice, dairy, toiletries and cleaning supplies.”
John Wight, the Vice-President of the Senate, questioned if the Government would consider legislation to “force” providers to lower costs.
Ms Wilkerson responded: “We believe it’s in our best interest to collaborate as much as possible, so the idea of a legislation to force the hand of the suppliers of food isn’t contemplated immediately.”
She added: “If anyone attended the Cost of Living summit, for average Bermudians to be able to hear first-hand, from that business sector, what goes into their pricing in a way that we never had the opportunity to understand before, is something that underlines even more why these efforts must be collaborative at first and we have to examine the results of those collaborative efforts and see where we stand.”
Tawana Tannock, independent senator, questioned how discounted items were chosen and if they would be changed throughout the nine months.
Ms Simmons said: “It is important to note that expansion of essential goods has been declared by the Government’s platform and Throne Speech.
“The retailers and wholesalers were invited to expand on these items that are now listed in the schedule of items for a nine-month period.”
• To see Lindsay Simmons’s statement in full, see Related Media
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