Senator Courtenay Opens Budget Debate

Senator for Government Business Eamon Courtenay opened today’s budget debate inside the National Assembly Building in Belmopan. Senator Courtenay expounded on a point made by Prime Minister John Briceño last week. The government is spending approximately seventy-three cents of every dollar to keep its operations running, including the payment of salary and pensions of public officers. With twenty-seven cents remaining for capital investments, Senator Courtenay noted the importance of access to concessionary financing.

 

Eamon Courtenay, Lead Senator, Government Business

“As the prime minister explained and this is important madam president, thirty percent of every dollar will go to wages for public officers. Seven cents of every dollar will go to pensions for public officers. Eighteen cents of every dollar for  operational costs for the government such as utilities and transportation and seven cents for interest in loans. That leaves twenty-seven cents for capital and expenditure to build a better belize. Therefore seventy-three cents of every dollar keeps the government running and only twenty-seven cents available to build belize. It is in that context that we have to make efforts in accessing concessional financing in order to make the ambitious plans of plan belize possible.”