Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Ralph Gonsalves will on Dec. 17 ask lawmakers to approve Estimates of Income and Expenditure of EC$969 million for 2015, paving the way for the Budget Debate in January.
“The total budget for 2015 will be about 969 million dollars — 560 million dollars for current expenditure, 112 [million dollars] for amortisation and sinking fund contributions,” Gonsalves said Wednesday on his new radio programme “Ask Prime Minister”.
He said the capital budget for 2015 will be EC$296 million.
“On the current account, as I had indicated … two years ago, we will run a deficit on the current account for a short period of time. The debt will begin to fall in 2016 — God’s willing we don’t have anymore storm humbugging us,” Gonsalves said.
“The deficit will be less than last year,” he said, nothing that the deficit was EC$40 million then.
“This year [it] is going to be 27 million dollars,” he said, adding, “The circumstances are challenging but we are holding things together and going forward.”
Gonsalves told journalists last month that in relation to the recurrent estimates, “there is a little difference here, a little difference there, this focus in terms of personnel and so on and so forth”.
He illustrated, saying that his government will hire 20 more police officers to provide security at Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, the Ministry of Health having fired the private security firm.
Gonsalves also said that the 2015 Budget will contain “a strong housing programme”.
The housing programme will include the state-owned Housing and Land Development Corporation’s (HLDC) low- and middle-income houses, the continued rehabilitation of houses after the December 2013 trough system, and corrective works to poorly constructed houses the HLDC built in Clare Valley.
He said the Budget will also contain a small amount of money for the respond to earth movements which displayed homeowners in Gibson Corner some 15 years ago.
The 2015 Budget will also contain “significant monies” for health because of the 10th Europe Development Fund, allocated to the moderation of the health sector.
Transport and Work will also get a sizeable chunk of the Budget.
“And naturally, under transport and work, you include the airport, because there is still work to be done on the airport,” said Gonsalves, who is also Minister of Transport and Works
He noted that monies for the Ministry of Transport and Works will also include funds for the restoration of roads and bridges.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said the Estimates will be presented on Dec. 14. They will be presented on Dec. 17.
Your last!….some make it a prayer.
Another billion dollar national budget. Hmmmm, let me think …….. Where have I seen this movie before? The circumstances are challenging but we are holding things together and going forward. Ohhh that’s right, things are brown in the country and elections are due once again.
Santa Ralphie is back: (1) a strong housing programme; (2) “a small amount of money for the response to earth movements which displayed homeowners in Gibson Corner some 15 years ago” (WTF 15yrs later we address the problem); (3) “significant monies for health because of the 10th Europe Development Fund, allocated to the moderation of the health sector”; (4) “government will hire 20 more police officers to provide security at Milton Cato Memorial Hospital”
Well now we know that Ralph realize that the end is near and his days of flying out when he stump his toe are done – police for security at Milton Cato, plus significant monies for health.
How allyo say de Comrade nah have no vision, de man ah see clear as day. Dem Cuban doctors bad yes
This is going to be an outstanding budget. A people’s budget. A budget on how to show how a caring government does things well in the face of economic disasters in EVERY part of the world. SVG is been looked as an example for other nations to follow in the global economic crisis. Ask the IMF, they will tell you.
SVG’s PetroCaribe debt is about the same amount, which has now been sold by Venezuela to an American Bank. That wipes out any plan the Phat Twat may have had for debt relief. we are now very deep in the do-do.
With overall debts now approaching 3 billion, where can we possibly go from here.
We can forget all the nonsense about a 900k budget, that is very simply fiction.
What chance have the 61 land owners at Argyle of ever getting paid for their land they had stolen for the airport, now they have stolen a ladies garden to bypass the collapsed road which they caused by digging a new cliff too close to the road.
This is a whitewash. I am sure folks have seen many of the same things before and nothing was done. He knows the opposition may not go along with his crap and he would gladly call an election saying they don’t care.
But the opposition should go along with it and wait to see all these plans fall flat when there is no money. The election has moved up to March 2015.
Fitz yo mamaguying us or what. Nothing there shows care. You all need to stop it seriously, we in an education revolution way.siht man!
Fitz you really are a sick boy. Are we still on the cusp of a financial take off. Thank goodness you and all those like you are sooner than later to be gutter swept.
We must never forget that Gonsalves told us that he sometimes tells lies. He also told us show me a liar and I will show you a thief. Further to that he told us that he is here to finish the work of Maurice Bishop. There is documentary evidence in the Grenada public records office that Bishop told his central committee to keep two sets of accounts to commit fraud against the IMF and others.
With all these silly and idiotic statements, what should we believe and how should we judge. He gets annoyed when people make comments about him, but he puts himself in a position to attract such.
We know he is not a totally stupid man, he brags of his intelligence. I ask can a self admitted liar and a man that makes such silly statements be the full ticket?
All these false bullscrap budgets are little more than more lies and deception on the people.
None of the budgets over the years under this nasty Marxist government have been anywhere near achievable.
Time for a change, the removal of the fiscal dunce would bring a vast improvement to everyone.
A clear indication that a drowning man is grabbing at straws. With little economic activities taking place where the PM is going to get money to finance the recurrent budget? The capital budget will be funded with loans again? From who this time? Petro Caribe? Vincentians have graduated from getting galvanise and lumber to getting free houses now? This slave master seems to have not one piece of shame as he continues to bring vincies unto their knees with their begging bowls stretch out to him.