UPP's Pringle Doubles Down on Duty-Free Vehicle Promise, Vows to End Ministerial Concessions

United Progressive Party (UPP) Leader Jamale Pringle has reaffirmed his party's pledge to eliminate import duties on personal vehicles, defending the policy days after its unveiling at the party's campaign launch. According to Antigua News Room, Pringle addressed supporters at a rally on Tuesday evening, making clear that the proposal remains a cornerstone of the UPP's platform despite the criticism and public debate it has generated.

"Let me be clear… the United Progressive Party will bring relief to struggling families and to ambitious young people by eliminating the import duty on vehicles," Pringle told the crowd.

Pringle framed the policy as a direct answer to cost-of-living pressures, arguing that the thousands of dollars currently paid in import duties place an unnecessary financial burden on households across Antigua and Barbuda.

He also trained his sights on the existing system of duty-free concessions, which he characterised as one that compels ordinary citizens to seek political favour rather than benefit from transparent, equitable policy.

"The United Progressive Party will rid Antigua and Barbuda of the policy… that cause individuals to go begging for a duty free," he said.

Pringle added that under a UPP administration, access to duty-free concessions would no longer hinge on political affiliation or ministerial approval. "We are leveling the playing field and making sure that every person in Antigua and Barbuda can get duty free without going to a minister," he said.

The proposal has emerged as one of the most prominent and contested elements of the UPP's economic platform since it was first introduced at the party's campaign launch.

Pringle also moved to dispel suggestions that the policy would necessitate the reintroduction of personal income tax, dismissing such claims outright. "The United Progressive Party administration will not reintroduce personal income tax," he said, adding that the party would not "give to you with one hand and take it away with the other."

The duty-free vehicle initiative forms part of a broader package of measures the UPP says is designed to reduce the cost of living and correct what the party describes as deep inequities in how government concessions are distributed. Pringle stated that the goal is to ensure economic benefits reach all citizens, not merely a privileged few.