30% PATH increase coming

After months of pressure from the People's National Party and urgings from the International Monetary Fund, the Government is set to increase benefits under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) by 30 per cent, or $7 billion.

The increase was revealed in the Government's Fiscal Policy Paper tabled in Parliament yesterday. There has been a call from last year for the Government to increase allocations to the more than 300,000 PATH beneficiaries because of the higher taxes on things such as gas to fund the income tax break.

PATH is designed to assist the most vulnerable and needy in the society.