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Estimates 2025
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In this piece, we look at a few things coming out of the 2025 Estimates that you might find interesting.

Hosting and Entertainment

What is so special about 2025 that the amount (EC$715,000) allocated to the “Office of the Prime Minister” for hosting and entertainment increased by an extra EC EC$150,000 over last year? In 2024, and 2023, that amount was EC$565,000 and EC$560,000, respectively. This year, 2025, we have EC$715,000. Is this difference of EC$150,000 the same amount that we see allocated to the Youth Advisory Council? Youth Advisory Council has an allocation of EC$150K for hosting and entertainment and it falls under this office.

The same question for the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development and Culture. How is it that the allocation for hosting and entertainment go from EC$264,640 in 2024 to EC$451,640 in 2025; an increase of EC$187,000? And how come this total (EC$451,640) is more than twice the amount allocated for maintenance? Is this increase going towards Culture, specifically prize money for carnival competitions?

International Travel and Subsistence

“Office of the Prime Minister” is still holding at EC$700,000 for International Travel for 2025, but how come the Ministry of Finance jumped an extra EC$200,000 over last year number? For 2025, we have an allocation of EC$400,000. In 2024, that number was EC$200,000. That’s 100% increase. Does the Ministry of Finance have extra travelling planned for this year?

Advertising and Promotion
How come the advertising budget (EC$147,640) for the Ministry of Tourism is the same for the last 3 years, while that (EC$256,000) for the “Office of the Prime Minister” has increased by EC$29,000 over 2024?

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Interest on Domestic Loans

What has caused the interest payments on domestic loans to go from EC$37 million in 2023 to EC$59 million in 2025? For those who might be wondering, external loan interest payment is listed as EC$59.8 million for 2025.

Taxes

How do we plan on collecting an extra EC$65.8 million in taxes this year, over last year?  EC$757 million is the expected number for 2025.  If we are not raising tax rates this year, it must mean that the contributing baseline will increase this year. Let’s take taxes on Income and Profits that is expected to increase by EC$36 million this year.

To collect an extra EC$36 million, it’s either more people are going to earn an income this year, or the same people are going to be earning more this year. Same for taxes on Goods and Services that is expected to see an extra EC$31.5 million this year. Again, if the tax rate is not going up, it must mean the throughput of goods and services will increase. Do we expect higher or more income, and more goods/services; or is this due to an expected increased cost of living for Vincentians, so as they pay more for the same goods and services, the government collects millions more in taxes? Is that it?

While we’re here, how come we’re expecting to collect an extra EC$432,000 in radiology (X-rays, CT scans, etc.) fees at the hospital this year? Are we raising the fees, offering new services, or do we expect more people to go for this service?

One more thing: how come the Prime Minister’s Residence has an allocation of EC$65,000 for enhancements and EC$100,000 to refurbish the office? What exactly is the nature of the works to be done there?

Electoral Office

How is it that the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for the electoral office, which falls under the Ministry of National Security, are exactly the same in the 2024 and 2025 estimates? Did we really register exactly the same number of voters, in exactly the same proportion (Male/Female) for “2024 YTD” and for “2023 YTD”? Did the office really process exactly the same number of voter registration applications in both years? Is this exercise of presenting the estimates to the people taken seriously, or are we just padding pages, hoping no one would see it?

Lastly, while the Fire Service has come under greater scrutiny in recent times, we must point out that the allocation for supplies and materials for the fire service is exactly the same this year as it was last year. That’s a total of EC$140K. Training also has the same allocation as last year – EC$12,800.

Once again, we express gratitude to IWitness News for continuing to offer us space to express our views.

Observer

The opinions presented in this content belong to the author and may not necessarily reflect the perspectives or editorial stance of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].

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