Budget Debate begins

Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Growth, Job Creation, External Affairs and the Public Service, Honourable Allen Chastanet will on Tuesday, March 16, present Saint Lucia’s Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for 2021/2022. This will follow the Opening of the Sixth Session of the Eleventh Parliament of Saint Lucia on Tuesday morning, where Members of the House of Assembly will meet at 10 a.m. and Members of the Senate will meet at 10:30 a.m., after which both Houses will be in joint session for the Throne Speech from His Excellency, the Governor General, Sir Emmanuel Neville Cenac. The Standing Finance Committee will meet in closed session at 2 p.m. to review the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, following which at 4 p.m. the Prime Minister will lay the Estimates before the House of Assembly.

The Prime Minister says the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure and subsequent Appropriation Bill, are being presented at a difficult time. However, Government has been able to maneuver the tough environment brought on by COVID 19. Government, he noted, has not defaulted on loans, continues to pay salaries and meet other obligations. Nevertheless, there is tremendous uncertainty about how quickly the economy will recover from the impact of COVID-19.