Dear Editor,

It is safe to say that more Jamaicans both locally and in the Diaspora look forward to watching or listening to the budget debate compared to previous years.

The Andrew Holness-led Administration – through his finance ministers Audley Shaw (former) and Dr Nigel Clarke (current) and their technocrats – has raised the level of interest due to the masterful way it has managed the country’s macroeconomics.

Truthfully, in years gone by, many people waited on the media to break the disappointing news of wage freezes and bitter medicine. But now people are more actively engaged because they expect Santa Clarke to bring good tidings – some goodies are definitely in the bag.

Although in linguistics discourse analysis is viewed from different perspectives with various subcategorisations, in my estimation, Dr Clarke delivered a good presentation on Tuesday. His opening tone and statements were on point, reiterating the fundamental challenges being faced by Jamaicans concerning the importance of proper roads, water solution, high cost of living, and the need to feel the effects of the country’s macroeconomic stability in a feasible way. But was there another option, given the close results of the recently held local government elections? Is this budget an indication that the Government is listening to the people?

One of the things Dr Clarke will be remembered and appreciated for is his effort to balance the lives of the people even as he balances the country’s economy. He announced, among other things, a significant increase in the threshold for pensioners – a group often forgotten; 30 per cent increase in allocation to the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH); 100 per cent increase in customs duty threshold for personal and household items; removal of guarantors to access loans at the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB); and increase in the taxable income tax threshold from $1.5 to $1.7 million. Numerous allocations were equally announced to support health care, especially upgrading and building hospitals, public transportation, tertiary education, and garbage collection, etc.

Many current and future university students will definitely rejoice that they will no longer need a guarantor to secure a loan. This is a big deal!

The People’s National Party (PNP) has chastised the Government for stealing its SLB idea. However, from as far back as 2009, when Prime Minister Holness was education minister, thought was given to this possibility. Besides, Jamaicans have been asking for an easier way to access this loan since time immemorial. And we have now reached the point at which we just want to see the country and its people move forward, irrespective of whose ideas are being used.

At one point in his speech, Dr Clarke left the audience in an uncertain mode as to whether he would increase the income tax threshold. Eventually, he did, even if it is only by $200,000. Some people were hoping for more, but it is appreciated that the finance minister took the time to educate on the implications and laws surrounding an even greater increase.

The Government now needs to ensure that the various projects get off the ground, which should be accelerated with the new procurement measures to be implemented, even though Opposition spokesman on finance Julian Robinson has called for greater transparency and accountability – the same Robinson who, in January of this year, invited the Government to reduce the cumbersome bureaucratic procedures to achieve infrastructural objectives.

In the same breath, the Government has a duty, primarily through its communications unit, to break down the different components of the budget so that the average Jamaican can understand how he or she will benefit.

Nonetheless, the debates are not over, and we await Robinson’s contribution on Thursday to share the Opposition’s perspectives.

Oneil Madden

maddenoniel@yahoo.com