This writer has written a few pieces on the government’s estimates of expenditure. In this piece, we revisit some of the numbers from the 2025 budget and ask one direct question: where is the money coming from? We’re doing so in light of recent developments as the country gears up for general elections.
Hosting and entertainment
For 2025, where did the EC$715,000 come from that was allocated to the “Office of the Prime Minister” for hosting and entertainment? This is EC$150,000 more than what was allocated in 2024. Again, where are we getting this money from? Interestingly, the same amount of EC$150,000 was allocated to something called the Youth Advisory Council, for hosting entertainment. Where did we get this extra EC$150,000 from and what sort of hosting and entertainment are we talking about?
Same question for the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development and Culture. How is it that the allocation for hosting and entertainment went 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? Where are we getting this kind of money from?
International travel and subsistence
“Office of the Prime Minister” has for this year, 2025, EC$700,000 allocated for International Travel. The Ministry of Finance has an extra EC$200,000 over last year’s number. For 2025, there’s an allocation of EC$400,000 to the Ministry of Finance for international travel. Where is this money coming from? How come we were able to find an extra EC$200,000 for travelling this year?
Interest on 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. Where are we getting this money from to pay millions in interest on loans?
Hospital fees
How come we were expecting to collect an extra EC$432,000 in radiology (X-rays, CT scans, etc.) fees at the hospital this year? Is this one of the ways we get more money to fund international travel?
PM’s Residence
Prime Minister’s Residence has an allocation of EC$65,000 for enhancements and EC$100,000 to refurbish the office. Where is this EC$165,000 coming from?
Others
How about the EC$34 million that we owe the NIS, and the EC$370 million that we owe Bank of SVG? How are we paying for this? Now that we’ve closed the Cumberland Hydro Plant, how are we paying back the World Bank the EC$4.8 million that we owe on this, at 3% interest?
The EC$173 million that we still owe on the Argyle airport, where is the money coming from to pay this?
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].
Most of the money, as you and most of our people well know, is coming from loans provided by mainly overseas lenders. Without such loans, our way of life would be badly damaged because taxes and other revenue from our local economy, as well as remittances from Vincentian migrants, are grossly insufficient to sustain us.
Why are we not more economically developed than we are? We simply don’t have the environmental or human resources to do much better than we are now doing.
Ask Ralph! That ah way he say. Don’t expect an answer though, cause that is how he stay!