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Posted: Wednesday 16 December, 2020 at 9:54 AM

Over EC$800M Budget laid in Parliament

By: Staff Reporter, SKNVibes.com

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – GEARED towards spurring economic activity to assist the economy in rebounding from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. Timothy Harris yesterday (Dec. 15) laid the 2021 Draft Estimates, totalling EC$867.9M, before the Federation’s National Assembly as part of the final stage of the Budget process.

     

    The 2021 Appropriation is a marked increase over that of 2020 and it will not see any increases in taxes, but will instead see several tax measures remaining suspended until the middle of the new fiscal year.

     

    In presenting the Appropriation in a sitting of the National Assembly at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort under the theme: “Fortitude during the pandemic; resilience, recovery and transformation”, PM Harris disclosed that a number of measures currently in place to provide assistance to those feeling the impact of COVID-19 will return in 2021.

     

    Among those safety net programmes is the Poverty Alleviation Programme, which has assisted thousands of persons earning less than EC$3,000 per month.

     

    Dr. Harris has proposed “to spend $27.8 million to continue to assist our people who are in need”.

     

    Additionally, the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has been allocated EC$12. 4 million, which is geared towards purchasing medical equipment, medical supplies, vehicles and other items to protect residents of St. Kitts and Nevis.

     

    Meanwhile, from the perspective of revenue generation, the Financing Minister intimated that the Citizenship by Investment Programme would be further strengthened in the new fiscal year with a view to ensure that it remains the leader in the marketplace.

     

    “We will be alert to reforms and developments in the international market place which may threaten our Platinum Brand. In this regard, we will procure services of intelligence gathering experts and persons of influence who can intervene in the critical marketplaces and capitals so as to promote and/or defend our CBI Programme,” PM Harris revealed.

     

    The breakdown of allocations are as follows: 

     

    Office of the Governor-General — $1,772,162 million;
    Parliament — $2,598,115 million;
    Ministry of Labor — $9,115,477;
    Ministry of Human Settlement, NHI, Ecclesiastical Affairs, and Social Security — $7,338,609;
    Ministry of Environment and Cooperatives — $2,757,04;
    Entrepreneurship and Communications — $7,572,693
    Audit Office — $1,251,719;
    Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs — $9,786,179;
    Office of the Prime Minister — $80,738,722;
    Ministry of National Security — $86,177,834;
    Ministry of Internal Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs — $5,343,747;
    Ministry of Finance — $258,096,535;
    Ministry of Health — $65,914,909;
    Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture — $10,365,466;
    Ministry of Sustainable Development — $26,189,346;
    Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aviation — $21,777,840;
    Office of the Attorney General — $12,646,840;
    Ministry of Community Development, Social Services, and Gender Affairs — $38,210,426;
    Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources — $15,845,890;
    Ministry of Tourism, Transport, and Ports — $34,097,931;
    Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Posts, and Urban Development — $66,342,776; and
    Ministry of Education — $103,979,577.

     

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