S2.E21: Targeting The Real Problems: Budget Pt2

The Big Issues

In this episode our guests continue their analysis of the budget 2022 beginning with critiques by the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Jamale Pringle. He opened Thursday’s debate on the 2022 budget, by accusing the government of not being "people-focused". Pringle, the MP for All Saints East and St Luke, said that the XCD $1.64 billion "election budget" did not address direct assistance for residents who have been facing hard times since the pandemic, or how the administration plans to combat the high cost of living in the country - and it is rising.

But what should a budget try to achieve in the first place? Besides being an estimate of what the government will spend, a budget is also a policy statement. One of our guests stresses in this episode that a budget should target poverty, unemployment, the cost of living and the quality of life. To what extent do this year's policies take specific aim at these ongoing issues? Another guest stresses how little room the government has to maneuver with a buddle of welfare obligations to too large a low income bracket, a massive wage bill from a bloated public sector, and static tax policies. Private sector growth meanwhile, remains is elusive. Why?

This programme first aired on NewsCo Observer Radio 91.1 FM on February 13th, 2022. The host is Kieron Murdoch. The guests are:

1. Carlon Knight, socio-economic and political affairs commentator.
2. Dr. Thomson Fontaine, an economist currently working in South Sudan. As an economist, he worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 13 years. His work and writing have focused on growth, currency crises, development, fiscal management, and debt. He is from Dominica and was a Senator there previously.
3. Petra Williams, an economist and statistician by training. She is also a business management consultant.
4. David Spencer, commentator and community activist. He is also the co-host of Movement Radio, a weekly programme on Observer Radio dedicated to social and political activism on a range of issues.

Comments from the host:

What becomes apparent in this discussion is that not much is changing in terms of how the government approaches its job. The social programmes seem to remain unchanged. The size of the fiscally burdensome public sector remains unchanged. The development strategy that relies on hotel investment remains unchanged. Tax polices tend to remain unchanged. Our labour force and education polices remain unchanged. Salaries and wages in the public sector remain unchanged. The bankruptcy at Social Security and the the endless list of debts to public servants remains unchanged. So much of how the government spends its money and the polices it pursues remains largely unchanged from year to year. So, is it having the desired effect on the society?

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