Budget date set for July 24

budget1The 2015/2016 Budget is set for Friday 24th July, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has said and matters such as agriculture, tourism and job creation will be highlighted.

He said in an interview with state-owned DBS radio that the government’s social program will continue and the construction of a new hospital will be featured in the budget estimates.

“Every country continues to grapple with serious challenges, no country has been immune to the 2008 financial crisis,” he said. “But there are certain important matters which we have to carry through as a country in terms of the infrastructure, the economy and job creation, things like the abattoir and the operationalization of the abattoir. So these are critical areas that we have to continue to focus on as we move forward into a new financial year.”

According to him, attention will be placed on, “our own individual responsibility to ourselves and to our country.”

“It’s important for us to send a message to each one of us, if we want the country to get to a particular point in time, then we have to make a contribution to that endeavor…” he said.

He also called on the Dominican public to take on certain responsibilities and to make a greater contribution to the development of themselves and the country.

Skerrit reiterated that the government will continue its social programs.

“The social programs will continue, we believe that they are still needed,” he noted. “Tt is an important measure or decision or policy to help address issues of poverty. They are very important in assisting us in achieving our millennium development goals.”

Skerrit continued, “We have to invest both in the social infrastructure and also the physical infrastructure, so we continue to place efforts in the social programs to reach out to those who cannot take care of themselves.”

He mentioned also that the government will be increasing the amount of money that are allocated for students or people studying overseas or at Universities.

Skerrit noted further that the much talked-about new Princess Margaret Hospital will also be featured in the estimates.

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47 Comments

  1. LANSAL
    July 20, 2015

    QUOTE, According to him, attention will be placed on, “our own individual responsibility to ourselves and to our country.”
    “It’s important for us to send a message to each one of us, if we want the country to get to a particular point in time, then we have to make a contribution to that endeavor…” he said.

    THAT IS FOR THOSE LOBOURITE BECAUSE IS THEY THAT DOES GET THOSE GOODIES WHEN HE SHARING. it look like is only during budget time he want everybody to sacrifice.. what a mook

  2. Tampa
    July 20, 2015

    Keep in mind that the PM reminded his supporters that they are all benefiting from the milk cow( which is the DLP government and the public purse as well as policies) and for that they need to do more for and on behalf of the party. He did not say “country” he said “party”.

  3. Tampa
    July 20, 2015

    I am a bit confused by some of the statements made by the PM. How can you ask Dominicans to “make a greater contribution to the development of themselves and the country” while at the same time increasing the number of strong and healthy people who are dependent on the Red Clinic. This is a contradiction and does not augur well for the development of the individual or the country. You have to separate those in need from those who exploit the situation because they belong to the Skerrit DLP. The Red Clinic is political patronage and not a true program aimed at assisting the true marginalized and vulnerable. To continue with the program as is and increasing the number of people dependent on it only shows that after 15 years the government has not been able to grow the economy and thus create more opportunities for gainful employment.

  4. grell
    July 20, 2015

    Job creation Skerrit,please say more citizens to the begging offfice.

  5. July 20, 2015

    Is it true the opposition wants the PM Budget Address 4 months in advance? DNO could you clarify that is true? I have trouble believing this one. I doubt very much a party who wants to lead a country, who themselves if ever they make it in to be the government will have to present a budget is telling the public they would want a budget address given to you 4 months in advance. Would they ever do that themselves? Did the UWP do that when they were the government? Where have they ever hear of such thing happening.

    • Titiwi
      July 20, 2015

      Yes Thomas, the opposition is a part of parliament too. It is the P.M. who always goes on about unity and cooperation so why not use all talents in the House, at least for consultation and dialogue, to make thinks better for the country? One does not have to share the same political philosophy to work together, and agree on certain things for the common good and I believe that mr. Linton has already suggested his willingness to cooperate in this manner.

      • July 20, 2015

        Titiwi that is why there is a budget response by the members on the other side. The Parliamentary Opposition. That is how it is done in democratic countries the world over. Oppositions get their chance to put their expertise and knowledge and give their response after the budget is presented. They get the budget well in advance before presentation to prepare their response. But 4 months in advance?

        Why does the Opposition do that to themselves, their supporters and Dominicans at large? Why do they want to convince us so badly that they are clueless? When we are trying desperately to give them the benefit of the doubt?

        Was the UWP ever in government? Are we to read through all what they have been telling us lately that they do not really believe that they can ever be the government again and is only going through the motions? 4 months? OMG!!

        Titiwi, UWP is not part of Cabinet!! They are part of Parliament!! someone please explain the difference to them.

  6. whose fools are we?
    July 20, 2015

    Dominicans have not been told the truth about that new hospital?

    Remember, Skerritt initially told us that he had signed an MOU with the Gov’t of China, when relations were established. Skerritt boasted about four-pillar projects that China would fund and build, namely:

    The Portsmouth-Roseau road rehab
    The new wing at Grammar School
    Windsor Park stadium
    Hospital.

    Skerrittt visited China in November 2013 and signed a loan of US $300,000,000.00 with a private Chinese Firm. The Chinese Ambassador in Dominica clarified that it wasn’t signed by the Chinese Gov’t. They were not in that deal.

    The Chinese Co. ASCG, on its website, informed that Skerritt had inked a deal with its president Xue Song. That huge loan included construction of a hotel at PWC, a hospital and airport works.

    If building a new hospital was in the MOU signed with China, to be built by the Chinese, why that huge loan to include hospital building again?

    Whose FOOLS are we Skerritt?

    • Peter Potter
      July 20, 2015

      The man does not know today what he told us yesterday. His memory is not all that good anymore. That is the reason why is being found out on a weekly basis nowadays.

  7. Titiwi
    July 19, 2015

    Tonight Angelo disclosed that mr. Skerrit’s friend Baroness Scotland , or should I say mrs. Mawhiney, is a charade also. Maybe he should put her in the budget too? Every day Dominica is becoming more of a pappy show. For God ‘s sake P.M., please clean up your act before we lose any respect that we have left. Please!

  8. The Real Fact
    July 19, 2015

    The Prime Minister’s budget is always accurate. He is always able to show that his prebious budget plans were accomplished.For example the Abattoir is now in full operation and producing chicken and beef and supplying the neighboring islands.The grothermak enterprise is in full operation and the people are now benefiting. The Moroccan Hotel is seeing full occupancy. Agriculture is at the highest – feeder roads are in excellent condition. I was told that Meliss infinity can traverse the feeder road just li k e the xays of Eugenia and Eddy.
    Currently our debt to GDP ratio is at its lowest and is expected to remain so as long as Skerrit is at the helm. The people are doing sell; vendors at the market are seeing record sales;Job vacancies are all over Roseau and like Ambassador A says jobs are spilling over.
    It was indeed a well spent $32 million to have me and others come vote for the Prime Minister even if he continue to enrich himself

    • Peter Potter
      July 20, 2015

      Why don’t you shut up just for once! You are a raving lunatic that is totally blind and deaf courtesy of all that labour propaganda. Oh, I meant to always ask you: are your eyes red too?

  9. AA
    July 19, 2015

    Its disturbing that no one have any confidence in this administration to turn the economy around and have basically given up on the country. What i want to know is why the Govt continues to fleece the country whilst the common man is being forced further into poverty? Is the tablets hiding under the education budget head? this area should be detailed. Why the hell are we paying more to run a continuing declining economy? wgy do we have such a large cabinet and tons of advisers that are just sucking on the countries scarce resources and delivering little to the country, dont skeritt and company feel guilty for fleecing the country that way.

    But i blame DOM for the state of things in the country and what is to come because it is gonna get much worst. There is nothing to spur the productive sector in this budget and this is just another talk of pure crap. I hope that the opposition brings a real alternative budget with real solutions because the skeritt plan have failed misserably

    • Peter Potter
      July 20, 2015

      Ask those stupid DLP supporters! They won’t see the light. Not in a million years. As long as Skerrit gives them a few Dollars here and there they are quite happy to go along and to hell with the country!

  10. Lang Mama
    July 19, 2015

    Well peeps the abattoir is back on. Last year there was pampers so mow Lang Mama expecting tampons and since Skerrit say the economy grew 3.5% Lang Mama requesting free spandex and my weave allowance. I doh eant no free back n neck from the national abattoir.
    When the “geoferma” make it on the next budget again Lang Mama want duty free on my infinity and Range Rover. I will leave the Rolls Royce for real Porssie.

  11. JoJo
    July 19, 2015

    Please Roosevelt, stop talking about that new hospital and just build it! So long and so often that comes up in government promises it has become an old chestnut and is very embarrassing. For your own good best to be quiet and wait saying anything again till it is up and functioning.

  12. sonia
    July 19, 2015

    mr skrit please stop placing you incompetencence leadership on other countries m struggling and give the economist mr fountan to steer dominca ship all just dere grabing country wealth and say ing all excuses excuses for the past 16 years

  13. enfantdiable
    July 19, 2015

    Hope tourism and agriculture DEVELOPMENT given the HIGHEST priority in government’s expenditure !And the REDUCTION in the SIZE and COST of ruling the 69,000 Dominicans is addressed frontally!!

    • diabless
      July 19, 2015

      Cost of governing us,you mean

  14. July 19, 2015

    Cant Stop laughing at this. Atleast the increase in education funding is not to bad. But otherwise it\’s basically putting money into things that wont ever gie back to our economy. No wonder we going all over the world looking for grants & loans. LOL

  15. July 19, 2015

    One more. Greece hide their debt. by keeping advance payments out of their budget. The cash advances had to be paid later. When they eventually added to the debt. all hell broke over. Just like Dominica. Dominica is hiding its petro caribe debt out of the budget. When applied all hell will break loose.

  16. Ayn Rand
    July 18, 2015

    Skerrit U.S. retail gas prices dropping due to the drop in oil prices, how come it not dropping in Dominica, is Dominica
    located on Mars? :cry:

    • Man kind
      July 19, 2015

      Pluto very far it takes Nine years and some months to reach hence that is how long it will take for gas price to go down .

  17. Francisco Telemaque
    July 18, 2015

    Skerrit talks about job creation, he mentioned the building of a hospital, and in the same breath he emphasizes the social program will continue.

    Let us take the latter first: In the first place nobody in their right mind cold consider Skerrit’s social program to be any form of serious employment. His social employment of sending graduating students, and his party clones to a run shop to learn how to pore white rum into a glass and hand it to an alcoholic, should be considered a crime!

    The construction of a new hospital provides temporary work, when it is completed, its over for the workers. When we speak of job creation, it must create sustainable employment, which one can plan their life on. In that case we need to industrialize the country. This show of rented so called hoteliers taking pictures, and nothing comes after the fake photographs must cease. Talking alone does not materialize into anything without some action.

  18. PASSPORT BUDGET
    July 18, 2015

    why is he still talking about the 2008 financial crisis in 2015…. he said we were doing so good we were sending money for our relatives in the usa, he also said he will spend 30 million on the last election…
    from what I hear, dominica nice boi… or is that what he makes people believe.

    what an idiot

  19. Peter Potter
    July 18, 2015

    This is gonna be another day of lies, empty promises and general BS as far as government spending is concerned. As far as the taxes are concerned, Dominicans better praise yourself, I’ve got a funny feeling that something is brewing. Black Friday? Let’s wait and see!

  20. July 18, 2015

    Fellow Dominicans, brace up lift our selves by our boot strapes, and be prepared to work to make Dominica nice again. Look around and we all can see what our Budget is going to be. The clock is ticking. hold on D. N. O. be proactive there might be another alleged attack. My God my God why have abandon me?????????

    • Francisco Telemaque
      July 18, 2015

      When you here people talking about lift themselves up by boots straps, it is not the nonsense you are talking. A person can desire to move a mountain, unless they have something to rapidly move that mountain, they will die pushing the mountain; it will not budge!

      When you speak of lifting or pulling ourselves up by boots straps, you are implying accomplishing something without unaided efforts; or do something with minimum resources, or advantages. Dominica’s major problem is the lack of employment, in order for you to do something money is always required, so if the idea is that you can sell crabs as some claimed they did to become millionaires, give it your best shot, and see what happens.

      We talk about getting educated to build the country, after graduation, you are sitting at home waiting on government to call; there is no way pulling on your shoe laces will help you to start a business! Besides everybody who goes to college do not return with the intention to set up some…

      • July 19, 2015

        :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :lol: :-P :-x :?: :twisted:

  21. Thorbjørn Jagland
    July 18, 2015

    Here is why Dominica is heading towards greece.
    1)Dominica and greece have highly regulated markets.
    2) Dominica and greece have aging populations expecting generous government-funded pensions .
    3) Dominica and Greece have costly welfare state “entitlement” programs that must be financed through taxes and deficit financing.
    4) Dominica and Greece have anti-capitalistic mentality. Intellectuals, politicians, many in the electorates, neither understand nor advocate the classical liberal ideal of truly free markets or the wider political philosophy of individualism and individual rights to life, liberty, and honestly acquired property.
    5) Dominica and Greece hate the market-oriented entrepreneur. Rather than seen as an innovator and creator of new, better, and less expensive products serving the betterment of business entrepreneur is considered an exploiter and “selfish” profit-seeker.
    6) The only good business is the one who works hand-in-hand with a politician.

  22. Set it
    July 18, 2015

    I thought Chinese was ready to break ground? So the pm lied at last press conference . He continues to lie . Sad sad sad

    • PASSPORT BUDGET
      July 18, 2015

      nothing new, Dominicans continue to play with fire, they will feel it eh

    • Titiwi
      July 20, 2015

      Old Confucius, the father of wisdom said:” It is easier to break wind than it is to break ground”!

  23. alas
    July 18, 2015

    Last year’s budget was miserable and empty…
    How many road project or even feeder roads did we accomplish last budget?
    How many new jobs on the market?
    Im not looking for any surprise…..
    Mark my words….no feeder roads
    No road project
    No geothermal
    No new hospital
    No airport
    Citizenship by investment will not bring new jobs
    Moroccan Hotel will not be completed
    Chinese hotel at public works site is a pipe dream! !!!!

  24. %
    July 18, 2015

    Skerrit you need to come clean with Dominicans with respect to who is funding this hospital. You flip flopping is clearly counter productive and insalubrious to the well being of this largely poor nation.

  25. Merlot
    July 18, 2015

    Skerrit sounds like a broken record…same old story all the time. STUPES.

  26. July 18, 2015

    Are you kidding me you mean much talked about new hospital bunch of false promises. Mr. P M we will held you accountable for all these false promises,New hospital, The Roseau project, remember you said a contract has been signed with a mou company from China during 2014 election

  27. Man kind
    July 18, 2015

    Here comes new taxes this is what I gather when he says all citizens will have to play their part.

    • Tjebe fort
      July 19, 2015

      He has to be careful he doesn’t tax Dominica out of existence.

  28. 007
    July 18, 2015

    Ok I must be taking crazy pills. If the new hospital is being funded and build by the Chinese why is it in the budget.

    • Francisco Telemaque
      July 18, 2015

      You can suspect the Chines are giving Skerrit a loan; therefore he must have something in the budget to get the money to repay the debt. Maybe he will find some imported commodity to attach another 5% consumption tax, or duty on to be able to make the loan payments.

    • Me
      July 19, 2015

      Two reasons:
      1) it sounds good
      2) it contributes towards gdp

  29. %
    July 18, 2015

    The same old GARBLE and nonsense by Skerrit.The 2008 financial meltdown had little or no effect on Dominica, which under Skerrit as leader was largely a CLOSED economy. Skerrit needs to bury his pride, and ask doctor Fontaine to help his inept team to resuscitate this comatosed economy.He, Skerrit who leads the Ministry of finance, is sending a pellucidly clear message to the world,that Dominica is a country where we have in our leadership, SQUARE PEGS IN ROUND HOLES!The opposition led by Honourable Linton always had agriculture,manufacturing and tourism as key growth areas for this failed state under Skerrit as leader. Skerrit needs to advice the speaker to let the opposition talk at length,UNINTERRUPTED, on how they would turn this dying and corrupt economy around. The oppositions powerful team of ECONOMISTS must also elucidate the high debt matter, which has us tettering on the brink of total collapse. Hotel at Cabrits? 15acres of land? Investments? Where are they? ETC,ETC,.

  30. bad boy
    July 18, 2015

    Trust me as a labourite I don’t even know if to trust the government again, after hereing so many wrong thing that are taking place in this government. The opposition saying thing about 1.5 million us dollars that was put in a private account and the not saying any thing it looking like is true

    • PASSPORT BUDGET
      July 18, 2015

      u must be as blind as a bat or just ignorant…. all the wrong is as clear as daylight, so PLEASE OPEN YOUR EYES

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