Fiscal Strategy provokes ‘credibility’ and ‘love’ mix

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE GOVERNMENT’S latest fiscal forecasts yesterday provoked contrasting reaction, with a governance reformer saying he “truly loves” the growth focus but the Opposition’s finance spokesman pointing to “credibility problems”.

Hubert Edwards, the Organisation for Responsible Governance’s (ORG) economic development committee head, told Tribune Business that the Davis administration’s concentration on expanding the Bahamian economy as the primary means of solving the nation’s ills was “the right direction which needs to be followed”.

While acknowledging that the Government’s growth and fiscal targets were ambitious, he added that they “need to be” given The Bahamas’ economic challenges. The ORG chief also said the private sector, in particular, needs to understand how the forecasts were derived and emerge with “a clear message” from the Fiscal Strategy Report 2022 debate - supposed to begin in the House of Assembly today - so it understands the part it has to play.

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