Friday, August 7, 2009

PM Skerrit commits to capital investment and social protection programmes

By Sean Douglas

Against the backdrop of an unprecedented global financial and economic crisis, Dominica’s Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit presented the 2009 Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals to Parliament with a commitment to: increase spending on capital projects; continue to invest in the growth sectors of the economy; provide more resources for the poor and the elderly while at the same time continuing to address the country’s fiscal and economic fundamentals.
pm skerrit
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica.


On Friday, July 31, 2009, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit presented to Parliament a $445.8 million Budget under the theme “Securing a Brighter Future in the Face of Global Crisis”. (View complete 2009/2010 Budget Address (PDF))

The planned total expenditure for the new financial year 2009/2010 is $490 million (includes amount provided for by statute), a 6 percent increase over the estimated actual expenditure for the 2008/2009 fiscal year.

Of the total, recurrent expenditure is projected to be $321.6 million, representing an increase over the previous year of 6 percent. The budgeted amount for the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) is $168.3 million, an increase over the previous year of 7 percent.

The success of the Government’s debt management programme is evident with the announcement that the Debt to GDP ratio now stands at 81%, a “tremendous movement away from the despairing 131 percent of some years ago”. Total Central Government Disbursed Outstanding Debt now stands at $665.9 million.

Debt amortisation, including debt service accounts for $43.8 million or 9 percent of projected total expenditure. Government’s fiscal operations in the new fiscal year are projected to produce a current account surplus of $26.4 million.

The primary surplus, the widely used indicator of fiscal stance in highly indebted countries, is projected to be $22.8 million or 2 percent of GDP for the 2009/2010 fiscal year.

At 3.2 percent, Dominica registered the second highest rate of growth among independent member countries of the OECS in 2008, and growth is projected to be 1 percent in 2009.

The largest share of the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) has been allocated to Infrastructural Development (35 percent). This includes financing for ongoing projects such as the Roseau Road Reinstatement project, Roseau to Melville Hall Road, Road Improvement and Maintenance Project, Road Network Improvement project and the second phase of the Vieille Case Road. Significant amounts have also been included for Soufriere/Scotts Head, Fond St. Jean and Tane Tane.

The Prime Minister also gave a progress report on the Air Access Improvement Programme, a major pillar of the country’s public investment programme over the past few years.

“I am happy to report that this project is nearing completion and we are on track to complete the final ‘package’ of activities before the end of this calendar year, 2009. This package includes runway surfacing, drainage, fencing, and installation of navigational equipment and lights…” Prime Minister Skerrit stated.

Even as governments around the world are cutting spending in response to the global crisis, the Prime Minister announced that his Government will honour a commitment given in 2007 by implementing the third phase of its income tax reform programme from January 1, 2010. This measure has put more money in the pockets of an estimated 8,331 taxpayers in the country.

“In the Budget Address of July 2007, I stated Government’s intention to increase the tax-free personal allowance, to $20,000 per annum and to reduce personal income tax to 15 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent in the respective tax brackets over a three year period.

This policy has been implemented in stages, with personal allowance now at $20,000(up from $15,000) and current tax rates now at 16 percent, 26 percent and 36 percent, (down from 20 percent, 30 percent and 40 percent respectively). From January 1, 2010, the last phase of the three-year programme to reduce tax rates will be implemented and the new applicable rates will be 15 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent respectively,” Prime Minister Skerrit stated.

In the new fiscal year, the Government of Dominica, with the assistance of the Libyan Government, will implement the Yes We Care Programme. Three hundred (300) elderly citizens island-wide will benefit from the programme and thirty (30) persons will gain direct employment as administrators and caregivers.

Government has also announced that with effect from this fiscal year, it will pay subventions to Day Care Centres and Pre-Schools.

In his Address, Hon. Skerrit also highlighted a number of initiatives and programmes that have impacted positively on the Dominican population, particularly the poor and vulnerable over the last few years. These include:

As at end June 2009, the Dominica Social Investment Fund, Government’s response to addressing poverty on the island, had disbursed close to $6.5 million on social development projects. The Fund’s financing commitment to date is more than $10 million, all of which will be disbursed during this, the final year of this EU-supported project

Increased the minimum wage rates for the first time since 1989

Eliminated tariffs on more than fifty(50) items , thus directly benefiting consumers when world commodity prices rocketed

Removed the Excise Tax on LPG

Regularisation of squatters to give security of tenure to those persons who occupy such lands, thus benefiting 297 households

Approved pensions were made free of income tax

Providing every centenarian with a monthly allowance of $500

Increased public assistance benefits benefiting many, especially the elderly

Hospital user fees were eliminated for persons 18 years and under and 65 years of age and older (exemption now also applies to persons between the ages of 60-65)

Over 1000 persons in the last two fiscal years have had their houses renovated and in many cases rebuilt free of charge by Government under the National Housing Repair and Sanitation component of the Venezuelan funded Housing Revolution programme.

Introduction of a free comprehensive school bus programme serving villages across the country with the assistance of the Mayor of the City of Milan. 811 school children are currently benefiting from the programme

Implementation of school transfer grant for children moving from primary to secondary school, doubling the amount after one year from $250.00 to $500.00.

The establishment of the Small Business Unit in the Ministry of Trade to plug the identified gaps in the delivery of concessional financing and support services to micro, small and medium-size businesses and enterprises already in operation as well as the smaller “cottage” type industries. Over $250,000 has been disbursed to date to some fifty-nine(59) persons.

As the Government looks ahead, the Prime Minister reiterated the fact that his government had done well in the face of the global economic and financial crisis.

“Madam Speaker, in the face of crisis all around us, Dominica has certainly done well in keeping its economy going; maintaining project spending and sustaining employment creation. Doubters and naysayers notwithstanding, this much is undeniable. Government has responded comprehensively and competently to the mandate given to it by the people of this country. Our stewardship has been good,” the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance concluded.


Google
| Home Page | Dominica |Welcome Message | Prior Issues|Flag and Symbols | Dominica Constitution | Bulletin Board |Contact Us |Local Headlines |Discussion Board |Radio & TV |Cricket | Current Issue

Comments:
All this talk and no action is a sign of a way to grasp at power and forget the ordinary people of the nation. The prime minister need to search his heart and soul and not his mind alone and see all who he have left behind. Take a good look around the island and see who is benefiting out of the few things that his government is doing. I see lots of people are living on hopes and dreams and some people got the ways and means.The main question i want to ask " How can we all at home and abroad find a way to develop dominica ? " listen to each other ...each one teach one philosophy ...it don't take no white man or a red face to show our prime minister the way forward and that is one things that's holding our country back ...most of the answer i hear are coming out loud and clear on the radio from local people. The two political clowns like seameon and tony person need to stop encouraging more illiteracy on my people.We need a green economy not a red one.
love peace and blessings
John Maynard
 
Ah John Manynard, here you go again with your hatred and all negative tendencies. You cannot accept that things are happening in my beloved Dominica.

You should have been in Dominica like Gerald La Touche JP was to see how over twenty thousands proud and hopeful Dominicans were enjoying international cricket for the first time in our Spanking New Stadium Skerrit built for we. This was surely one of the proudest moments in our history.

John Maynard, if you have nothing to say it is best you keep your mouth shut and stop that hatred of one individual, Roosevelt Skerrit.

You must be magnanimous, Le Ebon, de Ebon. epi Ebon

By the way did you listen to how Ron Green made a complete fool of himself during his rebuttal of the budget address. That was a complete Shaame.

Barzey
 
John Maynard, for a so called "educated person" you mean you have brought yourself so low. What is contained in the above well written article by Sean Douglas to bring out such negative spirit in you?

Has your HATRED of Skerrit and the Labor Party consumed you and your better judgement? You have resorted to name calling?

I feel sorry for you. I WILL SAY NO MORE!

Chavez
 
It is people like you and you gutter mentally that is keeping you back and you can't see pass your nose, White man or red man is not keeping our Country back, it is greedy fools like you, UWP and that so call Better Dominica, you all live in the White mans world, all hold your Green cards, none of you live or work in Dominica, you don't help by paying Tax in Dominica all your tax goes to the white man in the USA, I bet you never send one of your USA $ to Dominica or save your money in Dominica., Dominica is going forward and we will get dere for sure not over night but slowly but surely, God is Good and God is our Guide, not You John Maynard.
 
Dear Al, I concur that the budget is enmpty and not towards any sustainable development of our island. It is a repeat of hand outs of previoous years. There is absolultely nothing new in the budget to create employment other that the promises of the government, it is not new money,and it is not sustainable prigrammes they are welfare programmes not towards towards real employment and development of Donminica. Diod you not hear what the major revenue earlner is for Dominica, IT IS VAT, way ahead of cthe corpoarte rewejue. In the 1980`s the revenue was agriculture, there was not even mention of this sector as a viable producing sector for development. Where on earth did we get these school boys and weaklins to have them run our Country. Please vote them out, it is sad.
Again we have missed the boat. Did you listen to governments chief social develoopment planner address at a functuion he attended earlier nt ej week. It was live on radio, where he spoke of poverty and where and how exists. there are numerous pockets of poverty where people continue to be illiterate and as he says, one off cash is good initially but overall the contry is solving its poverty problem. There are NO new jobs created, there are no new intitaives to have and create a production and priocuding econony and conttyry , the systemr lead by Skerritt and his band is one of handouts and welfareism. It is sad.
 
I Have not seen anything happening in dominica to stop people from dying at a young age I have not seen anything but games and tricks from these politics people who run for position to obtain wealth and material things in the world . Take a look the hospital, take a look the 999 system , the policemen is just on a joy ride hunting women while people are suffering, take a look at how the folks living in yampiece, silverlake, harlem and pointe michelle, font cole, and guttah and tell me i must shut my mouth.
Take a good look at the hundreds of thousands of dollars the government spend on vehicles for their private use and the roads in ghetto areas look like a stainer.Look at some of the houses they are repairing for people it look all crooked and worst than what it was beffore...look around how much modern buildings are up since columbus visited the island....t..why cant they try build up the infrastructure by putting down nice housing buildings with play grounds and swimming pools and flushing toilet for the people and make them pay a small maintenance fee to keep the money circulating than wasting money to put plaster on plaster that collapse later and cause disaster.
I have no hatred for no one, I talk because I know right from wrong....all this lip service is just a show case of lies .....like the bin bobol and the fertilizer scandal....the jewelry scandal thats swept under the carpet and just a few in the inner circle know about.
Where is the money that the loud mouth said we were going to get back in the treasury what you all forget it was fourteen working days, I can count ! can you ?.... maybe some of you drop out of kinda garden ...not me its over 50 working days ....they close the little airport and cause so much poor people to spend their money and promise them refund and compensation.....lips service with no real meaning....all these years the fools in power and cant complete one thing to the fullest yet everything is still being worked on .

All they boasting is how much scholarship they give young girls to go away and study, but they not telling the people how many of the young girls have to call them sugar daddy. Now the election time drawing near they showing up to worked on stuff that should be finished years ago. They milking and robbing the treasury like a BIG red RAT and live fat , while poor people cant find a dollar to wash thier back.

I say to my people who cant find a dollar use change. Those who feeling the pinch don't follow that pipe piper one inch
In Dominica there are a bunch of political pirates jumping from ship to ship and forgetting the poor people hardship.

I have no more to say....but all who agree with them to sell passport to foreigners to increase population are fools ...look what it come to in Tortola ....take heed my folks if the land is not work on for the benefit of the born citizens with a birth paper life among us wont get Any better. I am not defending or promoting any party. I am supporting right not wrong and may the better party take us gracefully to the future

I am coming home for good to develop my neighborhood in every little way possible. I love skerrit , I love Ron green , I love pestana , I love washway , iand all who striving to develop my island don't get me wrong but lets do it the right way.....not to foget " I love you much more!".Tired of seeing lots of people living on hopes and dreams and a few alone get their ways and means,too much people living from pay check to pay check surviving with a salary that onnly allow you to live from hand to mouth while people spending 8 years to learn how to obtain geothermal energy and others have the know how.... don't you ever feel sorry for me cause am very happy thank god for that... and I am on my way to make many more people in Dominica happy... Stop Look and Listen and you will see.....love peace and blessings.

Johnny2k......Godfather of love
TOP RANKING ..john maynard
 
All they keep boasting about is how much scholaship they give young girls to go away and study. But they are not telling the public how many o the young girls is calling them Sugar Daddy and who all they make throw away belly.........
Now the election time is drawing near, they showing up at worked playing solitarie on their computers, or watching Paris Hilton and the porn stars.....some of them take lunch sitting at the dock of the bay and never go back and call it a day. Most of the jobs public works people working on should have finished years ago . But no they find pleasure in milking and robbing the treasury like A BIG RED RAT that walks around screaming " Go to Hell ! Go to Hell ! Dont aske me no question go to hell ".....lol .....that is the worst thing that could ever happen to poor people who pay taxes faithfully and get a insult like that for their own money. Look at all of them living all phat while the majority of the people cant buy a blue soap to wash their back.......yo thats the worst "
'

..but the is the remix of the transcript above in a short version....peace out
J2K....love peace and blesings
 
81% of GDP is too High! With tax bases imploding in most western nations, and the size of government and its spending growing, the inevitable result has been huge and climbing budget deficits, as well as astronomically climbing Treasury debts. As a result, the size of the public service has been maintained. What should be obvious here is that after the global economic contraction, maintaining a public service with the same number of bureaucrats and the same costs is impossible without increasing both the real and the relative burden upon a much
smaller civil economy. The claims that increasing these forced extractions on a declining economy improves that economy is one of the wonders of modern economics. This is called economic “stimulus”. Stimulus it is, economic it is NOT!

Today, we are serfs whose lords are broke. Their “helpmates”, the bureaucrats, look with horror at the prospect that they might be laid off! The State is the sum of bureaucracies - the internal occupation force.
 
JOHNNNNNNNNY WHEN WILL U STOP TALKING CRAP ON HERE? O DEAR ME DEAR
PLEASE JOHNNNNNNY U BE CAREFUL WITH WHAT U TYPE IN HERE...JOHNNNNNY O BOY WHO REALLYU IS JOHNNNNNNY?PLEASE TAKE A GREAT HIKE!!!!
 
who are you annonymouse ? seem like I prick a nerve.I guess the truth really hurts sometimes, what ? I must be carefull of your loud mouth,AM NOT SCARED OF NOBODY NOT EVEN YOU ....johnny talk the truth and who dont like it, they must take a hike ! lol

johnny2k
 

Post a Comment

Please Provide Opinions and Comments on This Article.



Links to this post:

Create a Link



<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Subscribe to Posts [Atom]