Eustace: 2015 estimates a joke

The 2015 Estimates have been described by the Opposition Leader, Arnhim Eustace, as being unrealistic and a joke.

Eustace was speaking on the New Times radio programme yesterday when he shared his opinion on the estimates of EC$971, scheduled to be presented in the House of Assembly{{more}} tomorrow.

“The estimates, as far as I’m concerned that will be presented Wednesday are a joke. They are the typical things that you get in election year and very little bit will be done by the time election year is finished.

We will not live up to the figures on the estimates,” the Opposition Leader said.

Eustace noted that the deficit on the recurring budget sits even higher than before at $147 million and that the 2015 estimates also indicate that salaries will be frozen once again for 2015.

The Opposition Leader, who is also shadow minister for finance, declared that the figures were “bumped up” for the elections and will go back down in coming years; the 2016 projection being $840 million and the 2017 projection, $770 million.

“What you’re doing is for political short term gain. You squeeze the population and say ‘OK well I’ll try to deal with that later, but the later never comes. It tends to get worse as time goes on. So this year, no bonus and you’re telling the private sector to give bonus; the same private sector suffering because you can’t pay them but you want them to pay bonus,” he said.

Eustace advised that the Government should try to find mechanisms to improve growth in various sectors of the economy instead and stressed that “I am not going to fool anybody. If I figure it can’t work, I am going to say so even if some people say is bad politics.”