School Meals, SELF, Legal Aid to be maintained in 2009
By VonDez Phipps
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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Minister of Finance Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WITH less than a week before Budget Day in St. Kitts (Dec. 16), Minister of Finance Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris has given some insight to a number of focal areas for the upcoming financial year. He has assured that several federally financed programmes will be maintained in 2009.
In his Ministry’s most recent press conference held on December 8, Dr. Harris informed that his government intends to take a more targeted approach to expenditure management to ensure those who are really in need become the beneficiaries of the social and charitable assistance. He stressed the necessity to give priority to the productive sectors, while at the same time, be more aggressive in revenue collections from various business entities.
“The government has plans to protect the vulnerable through maintenance of social safety nets and ensure that more specific targeting of beneficiaries will be done to ensure that only those qualified to receive gratuitous support do so. We will maintain the school feeding and [Student Education Learning Fund] SELF programmes, and will render support to the indigent through food supports and meeting cost of utility bills. We will maintain our care giver programme for the elderly and also the Legal Aid Clinic.
“We will continue our vigorous programme of consumer protection and will review mark-ups of a more parsimonious list of items including pharmaceuticals and food stuff to determine the need for further downward marking.”
Minister Harris noted that his government plans to continue giving targeted support to the nation’s tourism sector, and be more responsive to export manufacturers.
He also spoke to the government’s approach to revenue collection which he said would be based on efficiencies and transparency in tax administration and revenue collection, and minimizing leakages from the growth in economy.
Harris noted that efforts would be made to contain the public debt and underscored that all public sector corporations would be required to “live within their means” by weaning these corporations from the Consolidated Fund. He added that the government’s strategy would be one of greater fiscal discipline, debt reduction and incentivizing entrepreneurship.
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