KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) is rejecting what it describes as false claims made by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) regarding the funding of its manifesto proposals.

“Their desperate attempt at fearmongering, designed to mislead the public with baseless accusations about fiscal irresponsibility, is nothing more than political scare tactics,” Julian Robinson, Opposition Spokesperson on Finance, said in a press release on Thursday.

The PNP launched its election manifesto, ‘Jamaica Love’ on Tuesday.

However, the JLP, at a press conference on Thursday, questioned how many of the programmes outlined in the document — which it dissmisses as “AI-generated” and “cut-and-paste” — would be funded.

“We reiterate that our proposals are carefully costed and fiscally sustainable. They will be implemented within the fiscal rules, which the PNP strengthened in 2014 when we were last in Government. We remain committed to fiscal discipline, debt reduction, and prudent management of public resources,” Robinson stated.

The PNP says funding for its proposals will come from:

—        Readjustment of Programme Expenditure – Reallocating within the J$360 billion provided annually for programmes. We will reprioritise spending to channel resources to initiatives that deliver the greatest benefits to the Jamaican people.

—        Natural Growth in Government Revenues – As projected in the Government’s own Fiscal Policy Paper, nominal GDP growth will yield approximately J$140 billion in additional revenues over the next three years, averaging about J$46.78 billion per year.

—        Cutting Waste and Streamlining Government – Reducing inefficiencies, consolidating functions, and ensuring that every tax dollar is spent effectively and transparently.

Robinson said the PNP’s proposals are strategic, responsible, and focused on improving the lives of Jamaicans, adding that the plan will invest in better jobs, stronger communities, affordable access to essential services, and greater economic opportunity for all.

Robinson also noted, “At the press conference, Finance Minister Fayval Williams claimed that the PNP has a history of borrowing to fund its programmes. What she did not say — and what the Jamaican people deserve to know — is that cumulatively from FY 2017/18 to FY 2023/24, the Andrew Holness-led administration borrowed approximately J$1 trillion to fund the national budget.”

The Opposition speaker said that when the estimated borrowings for the financial year 2024/25 and the projected borrowings for FY 2025/26 are added, the total amounts to roughly J$1.35 trillion.

“These figures come directly from the Government’s own Revenue Estimates, tabled in Parliament each year and available on the Ministry of Finance’s website,” he maintained.

Robinson also noted that “The JLP…has been the beneficiary of the structural and economic reforms implemented by the last PNP Government — reforms that rescued Jamaica from the brink of economic collapse where the JLP had left it in 2011. It was the PNP that stabilised the macroeconomy, strengthened the fiscal rules, and embedded into law the binding requirement to achieve a 60 per cent debt-to-GDP target, securing debt sustainability for the long term.”

“We carried out legislative reforms to broaden the tax base, close revenue leakages, improve business facilitation, and simplify administrative processes. These measures created a more efficient revenue system and generated higher tax collections — revenues which the JLP has enjoyed without having to make the difficult policy choices we made,” he said.

Robinson said by contrast, between 2016 and 2018, the JLP increased existing taxes by over J$25 billion to fund its 2016 election promises, including tax hikes on petrol and other commodities.

READ: JLP says manifesto ready, but avoids announcing publishing date