More problems in 2010-2011 budget

Dean Barrow

In our review of the budget for 2010/2011, we also came across a significant decrease in capital investment. At budget time last year, PM Barrow boasted that his government’s spending on capital investments, that is in roads, bridges, classrooms and other job-creating projects, would “lift up the nation”. Well, a more chastened Barrow has had to admit that not unlike GOB’s stimulus package, there is more smoke than fire. The detailed numbers show that forty-five million dollars in capital spending failed to materialize; while Barrow promised one hundred and seventy million in spending last year, he only managed to deploy one hundred and twenty-five point eight million dollars. Some investments that are yet to materialize include paved Belize City Streets, a Solid Waste Management Site, the Kendall Bridge and tourism improvements in San Pedro, Belize City and Placencia. The new budget, even with its layers of new taxes, is less ambitious than last year, proposing to spend only one hundred and fifty-four point million dollars on capital projects; that’s sixteen million less than was programmed for last year. Once again on Monday, the PM repeated his promises for the Kendall Bridge, tourism improvements and the Solid Waste Management Site. We will watch and wait for these to come online.