By TANEKA THOMPSON
Tribune News Editor
A REVIEW of the spending estimates in the 2014/2015 budget reveals that 30 government ministries and departments will get increases in their allocations in the new fiscal year.
According to the figures, the Ministry for Grand Bahama will receive an increase of $8,875,844 bringing its budget allocation to $12,609,524 compared to $3,733,680 that was approved in 2013/2014.
The ministry will receive an additional $6,810,800 to cover rent, communication and utilities in the new fiscal year, bringing its estimated spending for the category to $7,146,682.
This is a sharp increase from the approved 2013/2014 estimate of $335,882 for rent, communications and utilities.
The budget also reveals that salaries for monthly contract workers in the Ministry for Grand Bahama will jump to $1.7m in the upcoming fiscal year from the $511,536 that was approved in 2013/2014. The Department of Urban Renewal in Grand Bahama will receive an additional $1m, bringing its allocation for 2014/2015 to $2m.
The Ministry of Finance will see an increase of $15,787,686. The ministry had an approved estimate of $29,923,140 in 2013 and will now receive $45,710,826. Increases in spending for that ministry include $5,725,821 for rent, communication and utilities for the new fiscal year compared to an approved estimate of $966,000 in 2013/2014.
The Ministry of Finance also has spending estimates of $17,077,005 in 2014/2015 for personal emoluments, which includes salaries, promotions and overtime pay. This is compared to the $9,583,290 that was approved in the current fiscal period.
The Ministry of Health will receive a much larger allocation this year of $214,512,501 from $12,074,192 that was approved in 2013/2014. However Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis explained this is because the ministry’s head in the budget has absorbed the Public Hospital’s Authority.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration will see its budget increased to 26,184,994 from 24,912,344. The ministry’s budget for travel and subsistence has an estimated increase of $157,440 bringing it to $250,000 in the new fiscal year.
Areas of defense will also see increases with the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the Department of Immigration and the Ministry of National Security will all see increases for spending in the new fiscal year.
As for education, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology will receive an additional $25,655,843.
This will bring the ministry’s spending to $68,257,775 from $42,601,932 in 2013/2014.
The budget also reveals that public debt servicing for interest payments will increase to $259,339,079 from $229,722,060 in 2013/2014.
However there are several ministries and departments which will see their budgets cut in the upcoming fiscal year including, among others, the House of Assembly, the Department of Public Service, the Cabinet Office, the Parliamentary Registration Department, Bahamas Information Services, the Government Printing Department, the Department of Lands of Surveys, the Department of Education, the Department of Archives, the Port Department and the Ministry of Environment and Housing.
During his budget communication in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, Prime Minister Perry Christie said his government will focus on getting the country’s fiscal house in order and ridding the country of the “fiscal albatross” that hangs around its neck.
“By breaking the vicious cycle of deficits and debt buildup on a permanent and sustainable basis, we will reap a sizable fiscal dividend that will be available to adequately finance our aggressive economic and social policy going forward,” Mr Christie said.
Government borrowing for the upcoming fiscal year will shrink to $343m compared to the $465m that was borrowed in the 2013/2014 fiscal year.
Comments
B_I_D___ 10 years, 5 months ago
Gotta love that cookie jar...outrageous!!
Honestman 10 years, 5 months ago
"Government borrowing for the upcoming fiscal year will shrink to $343m compared to the $465m that was borrowed in the 2013/2014 fiscal year."
Sorry but $343m ain't no shrinking! That's another $343m that needs to be paid back. And yet, 30 ministries/departments receive INCREASED budgets!!!!
sheeprunner12 10 years, 5 months ago
What percentage of this budget per department is WASTEFUL spending?????????? 20% Much of what the government spends money on can be PRIVATIZED. This is what the government MUST begin to do if we are ever going to BALANCE our budget. $343MILLION in deficit spending is not PRUDENT fiscal management ............ HALKITIS ???!!!!!!!
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 5 months ago
I wish they wouldn't print these articles an say so...what was the 2912/2013 budget figure by how much did it increase before it's now been decreased maybe it's back to a normal level, maybe the extra 100 was used to pay off everybody. Exactly how was the budget money spent? Ask some questions, offer some critique, stop taking dictation.
Mayaguana34 10 years, 5 months ago
@honestman - you can't add or count ? The 343M doesn't include the $200M that they just borrowed nor does any where do they account for the 454M BEC owes to Frankie WIlson nor o they include the money that they propose to borrow for BEC. These contingent liabilities are being hidden from the people and if properly accounted for the debt to gdp is somewhere around 70% instead of 60%.
H
sheeprunner12 10 years, 5 months ago
True ..... our voodoo government accounting system hides a lot of liabilities.............. just think of the $1 billion government pension payout scheme that is not accounted for ........... Come on Simon Wilson!!!!!!!!
Well_mudda_take_sic 10 years, 5 months ago
As my late wise 'ole grand pappy used to say: "IT'S COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT THE PEOPLE OF ANY COUNTRY RUN BY _ _ _ _ _ ALWAYS END UP LIVING IN COMPLETE AND ABJECT POVERTY."
My late equally wise 'ole grandmother would quickly chime in that: "THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ONE SUCCESSFUL _ _ _ _ NATION IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND AND THERE NEVER WILL BE ONE!"
sheeprunner12 10 years, 5 months ago
What are you getting at???????????? What goes in those blanks?????
Emac 10 years, 5 months ago
Perhaps the word black? Ya done gone so far, ya might as well fill in the blanks
sheeprunner12 10 years, 5 months ago
I cannot accept that Mudda_Sic ................ FYI if you check around the world, white, Latino, and Asian countries have all gone belly-up in the past ........... many "black" led countries are heavily exploited by white insiders and outsiders .............. like us.
sheeprunner12 10 years, 5 months ago
Investing in Ministry of Grand Bahama is only worse than investing in "BAMSI".......... they are all blackholes for PLP graft and kickbacks ............... SMH
realfreethinker 10 years, 5 months ago
This is a tragedy. How the hell you can go from 300,000 to 7 million for rent and utilities in one year. dr darville them straight. a real black hole.
proudloudandfnm 10 years, 5 months ago
Ministry of GB is such a waste of money man.
sheeprunner12 10 years, 5 months ago
The Constitution says that we can have no less than NINE Cabinet posts......... Pindling started off with TEN in 1967 ............... now we are up to TWENTY-ONE ............. The Commission says we should limit it to FIFTEEN........................ When you look at some of these so-called Ministries ................... absolute waste of money, resources and duplication of roles. If a Ministry cannot have a budget of at least TWENTY MILLION dollars .......... scrap it and reorganize the Departments............... STOP THE GRAVY TRAIN MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sheeprunner12 10 years, 5 months ago
Our Judiciary is broken.................... plain and simple............... Our Executive is inept .......... and our Legislature .................... is greedy and complicit ................. now describe our citizenry .................. opportunistic????????????, blind????????? ignorant??????? lazy???????? or plainly lovers of the status quo???????????????
afficianado 10 years, 5 months ago
Soooooo know one thought to construct buildings on crown land.... Why is the government paying rent? And why does the ministry of national security need an increase when the government just took out a loan to purchase eleven ship vessels?
Emac 10 years, 5 months ago
To line their pockets along with their cronies. It is blatant stealing and unfortunately the average Bahamian could care less as long as they can afford to buy dey lil numbers.
Checker 10 years, 5 months ago
It is mind-boggling that the Ministry for Grand Bahama rent, communications and utilities. budget went from $335,882 last year to $7,146,682 this year and nobody is saying anything about this blatant abuse of public funds. How is ths possible to increase by this massive amount? Something smells fishy here. I am still trying to wrap my mind around this. This is unbelievable.
sheeprunner12 10 years, 5 months ago
I am sure you will hear about this when the debate starts this week........LOL
afficianado 10 years, 5 months ago
Basically what they are doing is including the MP's salary upgrades in their budgets.
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