Dr. Daniel rubbishes PM Browne’s ‘powerhouse’ claims, noting that St. Kitts & Nevis has surpassed Antigua and Barbuda
Retired university lecturer Dr. George Daniel is disproving boasts by
Prime Minister Gaston Browne that Antigua and Barbuda’s economy
is far better than any other in the region, except Guyana’s, with its
newly found oil wealth.
Browne has been making this declaration for the past two
years, with his most recent pronouncement being on Friday,
December 15, as he presented the 2024 national budget.
However, Dr. Daniel says that, having reviewed the 2022 budget, the
conclusion he has drawn is that Antigua and Barbuda does not have
a revenue problem; rather, it suffers from a management problem.
Looking at the economy of St. Kitts & Nevis, Dr. Daniel notes that the
recurrent expenditure for that small Federation – the population of
which is half of Antigua and Barbuda’s – is actually greater than this
country’s.
In short, he says the Federation spends more, per capita, on
providing goods, services, and salaries to its people than the
Government of Antigua and Barbuda does. And, he adds, the
economy of St. Kitts & Nevis allows that government to fund itself to
an extent that is greater than that of Antigua and Barbuda.
Given these realities, Daniel rubbishes PM Browne’s talk about this
country being an economic powerhouse, since, he says, St. Kitts &
Nevis has surpassed us.
Meanwhile, Dr. Daniel says that, in 2014, the Browne Administration
came into office with what he deems a “gold mine” – the Citizenship
by Investment Programme (CIP) it inherited from the Baldwin
Spencer Administration.
Based on the excess revenue that was generated from the CIP, he
says, the Labour Party Government was able to operate with a
current account surplus to pay for regular expenditure.
According to the retired university lecturer, there was more money
collected than was spent. But by 2018, Dr. Daniel says, the
Government was into a current account deficit.
That was retired university lecturer Dr. George Daniel.
