Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, is expected to present the 2013-2014 national budget to parliament this morning.
This year’s budget is EC$474,757,418 compared to last year’s EC$437.6 million.
Skerrit has indicated that the health sector will receive increased allocation and several pieces of medical equipment will be bought for the Princess Margaret Hospital as part of an “exhaustive priority list” for the Ministry of Health.
He has also said that “all safety nets” for education, the elderly and the vulnerable will be protected and there will be increased assistance for agencies such as the Grotto Home and the Infirmary which provide care for them.
The prime minister has emphasized that there will be no new taxes in the budget since the government’s approach is to seek grant and concessionary loans to finance government projects.
“What we have been doing consistently, and the opposition and critics of the government have criticized us on this and they have called me a beggar and all sorts of nonesense and so forth, is to seek to attract grant funding to minimize the impact on the citizens of Dominica,” Skerrit said at a press conference recently.
An online DNO poll, in which 678 readers participated, revealed that agriculture should be the main concentration of the budget.
The poll offered five choices of focus: agriculture, health, manufacturing, education and tourism.
236 readers (35 percent) cast their votes for agriculture.
The rest of the results are:
Health – 147 votes (22 percent)
Manufacturing – 131 votes (19 percent)
Education – 105 votes (15 percent)
Tourism – 60 votes (9 percent)
DNO’s poll is not a scientific one.
President of Dominica Eliud Williams, will be addressing parliament for first time since taking up office.
Parliament begins at 10.00 o’clock this morning.
don t worry people
to beg
to beg
to beg we go beg
till cock grow teeth once more
ah beg we labarites like to beg
that’s why we red clinic dead
to see we beg the chiney man
and give way we passport and land for free
soon chiney man go take over
and we go slave for me
though chavez gone another one come
so we continue to beg
venezuela done take way we bird island
so they go take way we land called home,
Sweet dominica
to beg to beg to beg
we’ll beg till we lose our souls …lmao
Boyo, what are you doing to improve the ECONOMY
MANUFACTURE 131=19% then you Boyo try to get the Market. You boys only talk in the wilderness OK
So… Where the part about the employment ?
don’t matter witch part of the schoolyard iwas its the same schoolbell everyday.
Can’t FOOL people all the time boss.
With all due respect Mr. Skerrit you need to stop the begging. Find ways and means of getting your countrymen to produce. All those loans will kill us man. The opposition is right with that one.
The begging you are doing have turned Dominicans at home to be beggars as well. I am fed up of being begged every turn I make; I work hard
We will see when UWP takes over
Where is the begging….I see grants and loans…the bank does not recognize begging…please wisen up…stop listening to blessing, matt, lennox and angelo
I am usually not in favor of what the opposition says or does but this time around I genuinely agree that we need to step away from LOANS and move towards building our productive sectors and boosting manufacturing and production on the island
Boy I call Budget this morning to rent a vehicle but apparently they rented to a few farmers before and so all the vehicles dirty….Pure crap in dem jalopy. give the hospital equipment doh teach dem how to use it….same ole in less than a year it breakdown meanwhile Bdos and gwada making money on us….build coffee plant not one tree of coffee planted for the plant yet but we investing in agriculture, build abateau still not yet get layers for farmers…..collecting vat but no new jobs for young people….budget well if you are a laborite we will create a job for you even if it means putting you downstairs ministry to answer phone with no etiquette…if you don’t support us well do what you want and most times it ends up being drug trafficking for the youth and human trafficking for the middle age…..Budget? Budget? Budget my foot. garcon Dominicans do like Haitians and start building pwe-pwe to get out of this sinking country till they call election and Lennox win then we can come home.
If you build it they will come. Most Dominicans too busy c#mming somewhere else to do their part and come together. sot! AllUDOHREADYET
you want people to give you land, build the house and furnish it for you, btw you want a bedtime story every night too?! get your lazy ti bondah up and contribute to all the things you just mentioned above. learn to fix the hospital machines, get a loan for a piece of land and plant coffee etc.
Despite the “Thumbs Down” the points you make are quite valid. Lessons are not being learnt in order for improvements and new ideas to take shape.
The important question is how do we know if we are progressing if we don’t have a strategy and plan. The actions that we take has influence and a link to other things. How do we evaluate the impart of measures taken or understand what corrective action to take.
So @ GLO CHAUD you are right the PM is destine to make the same mistake as others before him.
The budget is less than 500 mil but everyday am seeing deals for loans for how much million dollars. How do we plan on paying it back? And where is the money coming from?
Why can’t we see the budget debate online?
The part about improving health care is very important but i hope there is some part of this budget that concentrates on Agriculture. We have a island of rich soil and we must develop this to help it florish.
Toosense is not the Government that have to work our rich soil it is WE THE PEOPLE that have to do it so come on do your bit!!!!!
apparently you did not see the part WE in my comment. Anyways Joe as I was saying ALL OF US neeed to do our part to make this country better but we do need help from the government to get the ball rolling.
Don’t expect anything much but the same old rhetorical empty promises from the budget talks.
Remember the past years? You do the judgment!
I am waiting Patiently waiting. Budgetttttttttttttt !
Mr Skerrit, hope you have money put aside for drug addiction. We need rehabs for both alcohol and crack addiction in DA it is a must in every society..
The farmers who are here were the same ones here in Dec 2009!
PM listen and hear the voice of your people.
The Holistic development of the Agricultural sector is a MUST. Implement the Concept of Nature Island Farms and put the peopel back to work. This is the only way you will remain as PM.
If you dont listen to your people, you are surely on your way out.
Farmer Boii, tell your farmer men to pay there damn loans so I can get some money too!!!!
Joe, you meant their and not there……. Right?
Farmers are hard working Dominicans and have been paying their loans from generation to generations except for now………….why is that?
Look at the ministry of Agriculture, from the Minister,PS, Director of Agriculture. Please, see the amount of $$$ being allocated to Agriculture……….
Them fellas NOT ready to make farmers work and pay their loans but instead they run away from the soil and turning to tourism ………… Remember the $ Minister.
PM, farmers are the back bone of the country, pump some serious $$$ into the sector, put your people to work and they will respond in your favor but there is a great revamp needed in the Ministry of Agriculture, and even Joe will be able to pay his loan too.
Sir common, Da is ours and our potential in in the land, lets use it sustainably and make NIF work.
fame’s should pay there loan for other to get somewhere
Will they walk out on the “illegal President” as they say? We go see.