Dominica's upcoming budget to benefit every citizen: PM Skerrit

Dominica: Prime Minister Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit, during a recent press conference on Monday, announced that the 2024-2025 budget address will be presented on Friday, July 26, 2024 by the Minister of Finance Irving McIntyre. He also talked about the Citizenship by Investment Programme and the compulsion for every applicant to pay the required amount as mentioned on the official site. 

He said that this upcoming budget will be addressing the island nation's social and economic realities and is also aimed at impacting the lives and livelihoods of the citizens positively. Meanwhile, he mentioned the strict measures related to the pricing of the CBI. 

Citizenship by Investment Programme 

Talking about the CBI Programme of Dominica, PM Skerrit said anyone who wants to acquire Dominican citizenship, they must be advised of the legal prices in terms of SRO which is on the government website. “I have made it very clear to everybody, to the world, that anybody who is found to have acquired the citizenship for less than the legal fees, your citizenship will be revoked,” he added. 

He further mentioned that this is a question that the due diligence firms are mandated to ask during the interview that how much did they pay for the citizenship of Dominica and that is the central question asked from every applicant. 

“So anybody who acquires citizenship less than what is required to be paid, you will be revoked,” emphasized the Prime Minister of Dominica. 

New Budget will have something to benefit every citizen – PM Skerrit

While emphasizing the significance of creating a fiscal package that aligns with the current global realities, PM Skerrit said, "Like always, we will seek to present a fiscal package that responds to the social and economic realities of our citizens."

He continued to say that the fact is that the world over, countries are grappling with the economic fallout of geopolitical conflicts, disease and disaster, which have resulted in inflation, loss of income as well as an increase in inequality. 

According to PM Skerrit, Dominica, though not immune to these shocks, has made significant efforts to mitigate their impacts. 

"We have persisted in investing in social safety nets and the productive sectors to counteract adverse impacts and also to keep all people in jobs, keep all young people in universities, and provide support to households and small businesses to ensure economic stability," outlined Prime Minister Skerrit.

The Prime Minister also highlighted several significant projects which strive to drive economic growth across several sectors.

These include the construction of an international airport, the Cabrits marina, the Roseau Enhancement Project, advancements in fisheries and agriculture, the digital economy, Loubiere to Grand Bay Road Rehabilitation Project and the geothermal plant among others. 

All these are in effort to help drive economic growth in a number of sectors, taking the island closer to the Dynamic Dominica vision. 

In addition to this, Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit also mentioned that this year's budget will focus on the efforts to consolidate the gains the island has made in recent years. 

It will also outline priorities and measures to further stimulate economic activity, create employment, and improve long-term efficiency in the administration of the country's affairs. 

He further noted that the Minister of Finance would also be expected to outline a new structure for the nursing service in Dominica during the budget address. This structure will comprise the creation of several new positions, which will allow for the upward mobility of our nurses and recognize the special, specialized, and specialist training.

"And from all reports in our discussions with nurses, they seem to be very excited about this new approach the government is taking when this is a concern," he added. 

While saying that the new budget has something to benefit every citizen, Dr. Skerrit said that he has listened to the recommendations of those who participated in the recent consultations and noted, "I am confident that the Dominican people will be pleased with the budget presentation and its contents."

Electoral Reforms

During the press conference, he also provided a brief update about electoral reforms and said, "We are committed to the reform and modernization of Dominica's electoral processes." 

He remarked that the country will continue with its tradition of free and fair elections and will also ensure that all Dominican citizens have the chance to elect the government of their choice as long as they qualify to vote in Dominica. 

The Prime Minister stressed the fact that his administration strives to strengthen its electoral system, promoting clear, open processes to ensure trust and integrity, equal access, opportunities for all eligible voters to participate, and impartiality in the conduct of the elections.

He also pointed out that in May of this year, his government provided draft electoral reform legislation to the Electoral Commission for Review and Feedback, aiming to take the legislation to the Parliament within the shortest possible time frame. 

However, he said that the Electoral Commission has written to him requesting additional time until the end of July 2024 to review the document.

Prime Minister Skerrit added he is quite open to receiving and reviewing submissions on the proposed legislation from members of the public, including electoral reform interest groups but, they must be willing to strike a reasonable balance. 

PM Skerrit visits hurricane-hit islands

Furthermore, PM Roosevelt Skerrit shed a light on his recent visit to Grenada and his willingness to visit St Vincent and the Grenadines. He noted that he would be visiting Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves on July 16 with his regional colleague Prime Ministers on a trip to St Vincent and the Grenadines. 

While reiterating his support to the sister islands following the devastation, he said, "We will pledge our support to the affected countries and keep sounding the call for urgent and comprehensive climate financing reform."

Talking about his visit to Carriacou, Grenada, PM Skerrit said that the devastation over there is near total. He was struck once again by how these hurricanes are destroying livelihoods, uprooting communities, and causing severe trauma to the people.

 "We no longer have the luxury of sitting idly by as mere observers," said the PM adding that the time for climate action is now and this government will intensify its efforts to build resilience and rally more decisive and impactful action from the developed countries, who should bear the bulk of the responsibility for this climate crisis.

He also pledged that the Government of Dominica will make a contribution to the affected countries in the in the tune of $1 million each for the countries affected.

The Prime Minister concluded his address by saying that he believed that he had a duty and obligation, both moral and ethical, to stand in solidarity with those who were affected, as he had done for Dominica on countless occasions in the recent past.

It is to be noted that Category 4 Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Carriacou on July 10, 2024, and caused huge destruction on the island as well as the sister island Petite Martinique and the mainland Grenada. 

The hurricane further hit St Vincent and the Grenadines and destroyed over 90 percent of the infrastructure there, leaving thousands homeless and seeking help.