The Alliance Against Poverty has voiced concern at the government’s Budget promise not to reintroduce rent controls, especially since this vow came before a White Paper on the property rental market was even issued.
In a statement, it said that although it believed the country should not go back to the pre-1995 strict control, there had to be some form of control so that people, especially those who wanted to start a family and could not afford to buy a home, would not end up paying half their wage on rent.
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The alliance also pointed out that although it was true that pensioners had been given a minimum wage increase higher than the official rate of inflation, inflation was in reality not the same for everyone.
Low-income earners suffered disproportionately on inflation in prices of essential needs, such as food, clothes, medicines and rentals, they note.