Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that his government has raised over $450 million from the Citizenship By Investment (CBI) Program for 2021 to 2022.
He made the disclosure while addressing a press conference on Monday.
“We estimated in the 2021-2022 budget to raise $463, 354, 284, so that was projected,” he said. “And the actual revenue we generated from the CBI in the financial year 2021-2022 was $458, 646,969, so this is the actual amount and of course, these numbers will be reflected in the approved budget estimates which will be published shortly.”
Meantime, he brought to the country’s attention that the Prime Ministers of the countries which operate the CBI Program will convene a meeting on Tuesday.
“We have taken a decision to convene a meeting, the meeting will be convened tomorrow via Zoom, so that’s Dominica, Antigua, Grenada, St Kitts, St Lucia,” Skerrit revealed.
He continued, “All the Prime Ministers will meet to discuss the CBI programs, the opportunities, the challenges, and of course the global environment in which our CBI programs are operating.”
Skerrit added, “All of us [recognize] how important a non-tax revenue measure this program is for us.”
Furthermore, he stated that the meeting is to consolidate their efforts concerning some of the things that they can do collectively to place the programs in a much stronger position than it currently is.
“There are some ideas I am not [at] liberty to share with you now, but certainly post the meeting tomorrow, we will be in the position to share some of the actions we intend to take,” Prime Minister Skerrit disclosed.
Is the money in the Dominican treasury? Or in some politicians personal overseas bank accounts. The whereabouts and deposit receipts should be made public for the people to see if the money is in the treasury.
All the people who criticize the CBI programme are bums.It is pure foolish to say Skerrit is lying when more the 60% of the people you are addressing don’t believe you,then you become a liar.For years the majority of Dominicans have not been listening to the lies of UWP and their supporters.
And he’s PROUD of this?
I’d be ashamed.
In previous years the country has collected much more millions from the CBI program than that of 2021 – 2022. Look around Dominica, can the incumbent kleptocracy justifiably account for the intake of billions collected throughout their tenure of rulership? Astoundingly NO!
Again, we need a thorough forensic audit of the use and obvious abuse of the government funds ( taxes, loans, grants, non-taxable revenue). Where has all these billions gone? When we assess the wealth of some past and present ministers of government can they legally and legitimately account for their enormous fortunes?
The CBI program ostensibly benefit the government MPs much more than the average citizen of Dominica. The people with their collective power need to rectify this with alacrity.
The only how I believe this habitual LIAR especially with money if the information can be verified by a very experienced forensic auditor.
The Caribbean countries that are engaged in the CBI program have put the lives of their citizens in serious jeopardy by relying almost exclusively on this program for their economic survival. Any untoward publicity that brings a halt to the flow of money from this economic experiment will be disastrous.
In these tiny islands we consume too much and produce, manufacture, and process too little. Imagine this, we have arable soil, adequate water, all year round sunshine. However, our annual import food bill is easily over $30 000 000 000. All these rulers do is to go around the globe begging for alms. How shameful!
As usual lies and propaganda, 30 billion dollars annual for imported food? Where did dominica get all this money you little liar. You turn 200 million to 30 billion just so.
I’m referring to the CARICOM member states not Dominica by itself. It is much more than $30B right now.
For all the people that criticise the the CBI, tell me how we would be able to pay for the airport that we’re constructing and take care of constant hurricane disasters? should we boprrow from the IMF and be like a financial slave to them, or should we tax Dominicans into financial oblivion? Dominicans, stop complaining and appreciate what the CBI has afforded us as a small and struggling nation, or you will get something worse down nthe line.
The CBI program is not sustainable. That’s obvious even to the dimwitted. The program is under attack from some of the most powerful countries in the world. We have to develop alternative sources of revenue that are much more viable.
Develop a robust agricultural sector; health, eco and sports tourism sectors; more tertiary industries; the manufacturing industry, a booming technology sector areas for huge potential economic growth.
To place all your eggs in the CBI basket at this time of great economic insecurity is insanity.
What exactly has the CBI afforded us. Please only quote real things, not pie in the sky Fata Morgana projects like new airport etc.
So Marcellus, you are believing that The Hon. DR. DR. Roosevelt Skerrit , The Past Min. Of Finance for 20 Short years, The Prime Minister for 22 Long Years, The Doctor of Lies is going to build an International Airport in Dominica with The CBI monies?
Have you forgotten he said the Chinese were going to build it?
That some monies were set aside every month for the project?..and there was only $200 left..
A Billion Dollars in the Pipe Line was signed. .. even the President was clapping?
Recently he said things have changed in the construction of the Airport???
Even Santan does not believe a thing Skerrit says…
tsk tsk tsk. I’m afraid you don’t understand the gravity of the abuse that has taken place or the fiscal exposure that looms with such a program in the hands of a corrupted cabal. It’s far from criticizing the program to say that the moneys could’ve been better spent, or to ask the Government to systematically account for the gains in a transparent and equitable way, or to take note and demand explanations for the obvious increased affluence among the political elite in Dominica, at a rate quite in tandem of the program itself. I’m sorry but not every Dominican is a spineless as those who choose to keep their head in the sand.
It is no secret that the DLP government operatives have raped and pillaged the countries passports for personal gain. It is the passport money that continues to pay for election campaigns, election bribery and election rigging operations. It is the same passport money that built the wealth they have attained and can’t be substantiated by their legal salaries. The luxurious lifestyles, ownership of newly built hotels, mansions, and hefty offshore accounts all mysterious. Now that there is an urgent need to clean up the mess left by unscrupulous passport vendors the burden of cost is placed on the economically oppressed citizens in Dominica.
Parasite 🦠 you put your full name because you are singing for your super and want your song to be played on DBS? Get a grip on reality.
His name says it all… Marcellus! BTW, we have moved on from ancient Roman times.
No we haven’t, the Vatican been keeping the grip on us. That’s why we are still in ‘Roman’ Catholicism and Roman version of African Christianity and a weaponized Bible.
This liar called Skerrit has been the only government since 1978, to have obtained so much money from our passport sales and VAT, plus regular taxation. Billions of dollars, even if CBI is largely intrasparent with very little or no accountability.
So billions have been made, but the economy is comatosed, no growth, no jobs, no innovative thinking, no manufacturing, a dead tourism sector, while Skerrit and a few friends are living high on the hog.
Unless we learn to make sure that those who govern, should be penalised for their shady deals and impropriety, this country will go nowhere.
Who owns all the massive new properties in Roseau? Who are the people buying all our prime lands?
This place has retrogressed 23 years under this DLP administration, and Skerrit is still crying how stressed his job is and he deserves more money. In other words to hell with accountability!!!!
“This liar called Skerrit has been the only government since 1978, to have obtained so much money from our passport sales and VAT, plus regular taxation. Billions of dollars, even if CBI is largely intrasparent with very little or no accountability.”
The irony (or folly) of this statement is that it comes right after the PM is as transparent and accountable on the issue as can be. I suspect you would not recognize transparency and accountability even if it smacked you in the face.
@Putin
But what have you really said here!!!
You had nothing to say, other to make yourself laughable.You should just stay MooMoo. Lies cannot be defended!! Didnt you know that?
Putin, you clearly don’t know the real meaning of the words transparency and accountability. Go back to school, but not the one in Vladivostok.
I would bet my last dollar and say that this statement by Skerrit is a lie again. In the past years the revenue used to be much higher or has he given us the consolidated figure after his ‘commission’ has been taken out. Skerrit boy, you can’t fool me!
So how is that budget shortfall supposed to be filled when the EU puts the clamp on the program. Skerrit has gotten so used to that drug that there is going to be a major withdrawal syndrome when the plug is pulled on the program.
These lazy governments have done nothing to stimulate their economies and instead have relied very heavily on an easy money program. The day of reckoning is coming. Skerrit has already given up the finance ministry, so the headache will fall on McIntyre’s shoulders.
You all can pull the plug and have nothing to offer but to stay broke and poor, I get the feeling that’s why you can’t win an election yet. No one wants to be broke and poor pal.
You have been brainwashed well and good by the great master of deceit and lies.
So what would you all do, get rid of over $400mil and nothing to replace it? That’s why you deserve Hambag to run your elections. By the way, I believe in a change of government, but, we need revenue.
No I haven’t Ricky, I don’t even like the fact that he hasn’t or won’t take full advantage of the cannabis legislation as proposed by the opposition so that our farmers can take full advantage, money to the local banks. A win win, we need it all.