United Progressive Party (UPP) leader Jamale Pringle has pledged to remove all taxes on water storage equipment and launch a targeted relief programme if his party forms the next government. According to Antigua News Room, the announcement was made during the UPP's campaign launch on Sunday night.
Pringle outlined what he called a Water Tanks and Accessories Relief Programme, designed to help households cope with persistent water shortages while longer-term infrastructure upgrades are pursued.
"We will take off all taxes on pumps, pressure tanks, water tanks," Pringle told supporters, framing the measure as a means of ensuring residents can store and access water even when supply is inconsistent.
He described the initiative as an interim solution, stating it would serve residents "until we are able to deliver water to you on a regular basis." Pringle cast the ongoing water crisis in stark terms, calling it a matter of basic dignity rather than mere inconvenience.
"This is not inconvenience. This is indignity. And we will end it," he said, referencing the daily hardships faced by households across the country.
Beyond immediate tax relief, Pringle also committed to accelerating infrastructure improvements. These include expanding pipelines through the Antigua Public Utilities Authority and maintaining reverse osmosis plants to increase water production capacity.
The opposition leader further promised to bring previously installed community water storage tanks fully online. "Every single storage tank… will be connected and commissioned," he said, criticising what he described as underutilised infrastructure left dormant under the current administration.
The proposals form part of the UPP's broader platform ahead of the April 30 general election, as the party seeks to offer voters both immediate relief and long-term solutions to one of Antigua and Barbuda's most persistent challenges.
