THE BUDGET GENERALLY PLEASES BUT BLACK CLOUDS
At a macro level the budget passes muster. The international financial institutions and the financial markets should be pleased. What was announced on Wednesday 29 May 2024 by the Prime Minister will certainly help our credit rating and give us some fiscal space to be able to obtain credit in times of emergency. The state of the currency is good with a 500 million dollar boost to the reserves. What troubles the ordinary man and woman though is the delays at getting business licences, delays at getting government cheques on time, the delays in getting roofs fixed, and the demand for side road and park cleaning contracts. That is what touches and concerns the man on the street. We expect that fix is coming inside and that budget is addressing those concerns.