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PLP Deputy: Budget is 'badly flawed'

PLP deputy leader Chester Cooper. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

PLP deputy leader Chester Cooper. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Deputy Leader Chester Cooper has slammed the Minnis administration’s proposed 2021/2022 budget for the upcoming fiscal year, branding it as one that’s “badly flawed” and “far removed from reality.”

Mr Cooper’s comments came after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis on Wednesday revealed additional tax relief initiatives aimed at assisting people amid the pandemic, including a back-to-school value added tax (VAT) tax holiday and a VAT holiday for hurricane preparedness.

On May 26, Dr Minnis unveiled several tax concessions for entrepreneurs and small businesses and outlined plans to create employment in the public and private sector among other things.

However, on Wednesday Mr Cooper attacked the government’s financial plans to help the nation rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, referring to the 2021/22 budget as one “of sheer fantasy” and a purely political one.

“This budget is a disaster much like this administration's entire term in office,” he said in the House of Assembly. “The government debt has increased over 40 percent. The last three years of this administration has given us the worst fiscal outcome for any consecutive three-year period of GDP in Bahamian history.

“This administration came into office promising better fiscal management but will go down in history as the worst manager of fiscal affairs in a modern Bahamas. This budget is sheer fantasy. It will stunt the growth of the country for decades unless it’s policies are reversed and reversed quickly,” Mr Cooper added.

“Don’t get me wrong, there was never any question that Dorian and the pandemic would bring economic hardship that led to heavy borrowing but the Minnis administration’s navigation of the pandemic added to the dangers presented in this budget and accompanied communications will ensure that things get worse before they get measurably better.

“This is a budget characterised by short-term thinking and ignorance of the severity of our debt position and it contains reckless electioneering.”

Addressing the government’s revenue projections for the upcoming fiscal year, Mr Cooper characterised them as “unbelievable” and unrealistic.

“The core of the budget is the revenue estimates,” he told the House of Assembly. “In this area it is painfully obvious that something is wrong. The Minnis administration is either incompetent or intentionally trying too hard to make these numbers work, or both. This administration believes that it would collect 18.3 percent of GDP or $2.24 billion this fiscal year after falling woefully short of this year’s modest target of $1.76 billion.

“It believes that this can be accomplished despite granting perhaps an additional $100 million in new concessions. This is simply unbelievable. It is more likely that revenue would be around 16.5 percent of GDP or $1.78 billion; not as bad as the current year but about $400 million short of the predicted target.

“Looking at the revenue details it is easy to see the areas where there would have the greatest revenue shortfalls: VAT, real property tax and customs. These are the areas where the cancelled Revenue Enhancement Unit was making the most progress,” the PLP deputy leader continued.

“Though all budgets are rooted in hope in terms of forecasting revenue, there is too much trafficking in hope on the revenue side.”

The shadow finance minister also pointed to the country’s ballooning debt, which remains on course to top $10 billion by the end of the next fiscal year.

Mr Cooper said the nation’s borrowing is at “staggering” and “unsustainable levels” and also called the country’s projected deficit “flat out scary.”

The deficit is projected to be $951.8 million in the 2021/2022 fiscal year.

“We have a debt crisis approaching and this administration prepares to be ignoring it altogether. Ostrich economics will not help you. It will not help the Bahamians people.

“This administration fails to bring a debt management plan as promised in the last fiscal snapshot. This administration’s failure to put forward a plan to manage debt means our country is viewed as a risker bet which makes our borrowing more expensive.”

Mr Cooper said the Minnis administration’s past budgets, including the 2021/22 one, shows that the government has no plan and also accused the government of lacking transparency and accountability – something they heavily campaigned on in the last election.

He charged: “We have no report from the Fiscal Responsibility Council, which was required by law by the end of March. We have no detailed report on Irma donations. We have no report on Dorian donations. People still asking, where the hurricane money gone?

"We have never been told how much we paid foreign attorneys to prosecute Bahamian political figures. Let’s not forget, the Oban files are still missing. We never got a report on the removal of the BPL board. And the recent loan agreement for the IMF loan and the new loan agreement for the World Bank has not been brought to Parliament. So, you failed on transparency and accountability too.”

Comments

bahamianson 3 years, 6 months ago

"The budget is badly flawed", do toj think we expect you to say it is perfect? You do what you do, criticize everything the government does and call it bad. Good job, opposition. Frankly, i am tired of this politics business. It gets this country no where, and i am not voting. He they say the sun is black, you will say it is white.

BMW 3 years, 6 months ago

a bunch of talk. nothing substantial, typical.

John 3 years, 6 months ago

SO WHY ARE THEY NOT TELLING YOU THAT THE BAHAMAS, like many other countries around the world, HAS BENT THE CURVE and NEW CORONA CASES ARE DECLINING? Like it is in many countries around the world. Credit the vaccines you say, BUT INDIA who hasn’t had mass vaccinations are seeing their cases plummet faster than any other country in the world. Brazil’s cases are also falling and the US’s cases are at the lowest level since the pandemic began last March. Does this signal the end of the pandemic? Will have to wait and watch the US numbers after having one of their most active weekends since the pandemic began. Continue to wear ya mask!

proudloudandfnm 3 years, 6 months ago

I wonder if Cooper is real or just another PLP incompetent crook? Time will tell I guess. Still gotta wonder if he is real why be a PLP? 40 plus years of nothing but corruption. Why would anyone real be PLP???

proudloudandfnm 3 years, 6 months ago

No such thing as a real republican anymore. Just trumptards...

tribanon 3 years, 6 months ago

You're much too easily baited. lol

tribanon 3 years, 6 months ago

Cooper is as dangerously corrupt as they come for our country. If the good people of Exuma knew what some of us know about him and his business ethics, they would do everything in their power to make sure he does not get re-elected.

John 3 years, 6 months ago

Like America’s is corrupt? Toppling governments around the world who they can’t puppeteer, manipulate or control? You’re RIGHT!!!

tribanon 3 years, 6 months ago

It's Communist China you have to worry about now. They're engaged in global domination efforts 'on the cheap' using bio-warfare and vaccines. The US can no longer afford to maintain its very costly and out dated industrial military complex. Like many, your anti-US sentiment is so great that you can't see the bigger picture.

stislez 3 years, 6 months ago

So dutty saying basically the tax breaks on VAT an Customs da pm wan give up is gonna help to ballon our debt more. So u wan keep charging us VAT an dont wan give us no break on customs............so if the fnm plan is a crazy one what would u call yall own after now knowing une tryna give the bahamian people no type breaks, you basically want us to pay down dis debt, not yall but us.....i see.

bahamianson 3 years, 6 months ago

Trumptard all the way. Dont hate the player, hage the game

KapunkleUp 3 years, 6 months ago

Our politicians are "badly flawed".

tribanon 3 years, 6 months ago

But even more so in the smaller financially struggling nations where Communist China finds it all too easy to just outrightly 'buy' corrupt government officials.

BONEFISH 3 years, 6 months ago

Cooper is not a PLP or FNM philosophically. He approached and had discussions with Dr. Minnis first. After that went nowhere, he approach the PLP. He did the same thing as Peter Turnquest.

Juan McCartney on his talk show has done some discussions and analysis on this budget. There are quite a number of things that don't add up. The vat tax credit for the employment scheme really is not going to generate increase employment. Zhivago Laing, the former minister of state for finance said the revenue projection figures are ' overly optimistic.' The thing is few in the media here question anything. They merely transcribe what is said or what they are told.

Empiricist 3 years, 6 months ago

My goodness. Wow. Mr. Cooper has collected every available negative and critical cliche to describe and dirty the soundness of the prescient Budget. It is unfortunate that he forgot one fundamental of economics, which is : a Budget is a projection of the future, ceteris paribus ( all other things being equal). It is the best alternative under prevailing conditions. He forgets this basic principle and purposely overlooks all the wonderful strategies our Government has deftly deployed to address the unpredictable disasters it was forced to tackle. Come on give Jack his Jacket.

This gentleman offers absolutely nothing of substance in his critique. One would be forced to say that what this man said about the budget is akin to two women cussing each other out at the Craft Market. This is the level of his lack of intellectual sophistication. Our nation deserves better.

tribanon 3 years, 6 months ago

You're quite the sexist idiot, aren't you. No need to answer, it's an observation, not a question.

BahamasForBahamians 3 years, 6 months ago

Our government has done nothing wonderful...and the strategies they've used are from that.

just thought i'd correct you there

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