| Finance Minister urges responsible budget debate -calls on opposition to consider budget on merits |  |  |  |
| Written by Gary Eleazar |
| Monday, 01 April 2013 22:07 |
THE debate on the 2013 Budget is set to begin today in the National Assembly which is the second such under the current parliamentary dispensation where the combined opposition holds a one-seat majority but government is optimistic that good sense will prevail. budget on its merits and to be guided always by the greater national good than by partisan political interests.  Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh The first speaker on the floor when the marathon session commences an hour earlier than usual today would be, Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali, who also currently holds the portfolio for Tourism. He said that the 2013 budget creates incentives for Guyanese to firstly stay home and invest in their country too. Ali was speaking specifically to the measure announced by Minister of Finance last week Monday when he presented the 2013 National Expenditures and spoke of the rebate on interest for first time home owners.  Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali Ali in an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, yesterday, reminded that his Ministry over the years, utilising its allocations, has managed to significantly expand the access to housing. He said that the Ministry has also been able to successfully develop different mechanisms to partner with young professional groups such as nurses to seek to ensure that all can have a home of their own. The minister added that what is even more significant about the rebate on the interest payable is the fact that the majority of persons to benefit would be young people. A quick calculation of the savings to be accrued as a result of the measure announced by the Finance Minister would be some four years, worth of payments. According to the Housing Minister this saving would benefit the young people with first time loans, most of whom, are under the age of 35, “What you will see is a lot of young professionals wanting to invest in their future at home,” Ali said Turning his attention to Tourism, Ali told the Guyana Chronicle that in government’s drive to have this sector emerge as a significant contributor to the local economy, the ministry will also be looking to enhance services offered that would match the investments currently underway. He pointed to the multi-billion dollar expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport as well as the construction of the Georgetown Marriott. He said that under the Competiveness Strategy government has been developing the Guyana brand. Ali said that government is currently aggressively pursuing initiatives that would see an integrated approach to the regional tourism sector. The Minister said too that government will also be aggressively pursuing approaches with the private sector in a bid to developing the sector further. Finance Minister Dr Singh in his Budget presentation had said that “recognising the unique ecotourism and environmental products that our country has to offer, and acknowledging the potential of the tourism sector as a major driver of job creation and sustainable economic growth, government continues to invest in increasing capacity in the sector, raising standards, developing market and product niches, and promoting the destination.” He had said too that the market has responded to government’s efforts in this regard, with increased private investment in the sector, significant growth in visitor arrival, and higher levels of property occupancy. In 2012, he said arrivals totalled 176,642, a 12.6 per cent increase over 2011, and the industry recorded average occupancy rates in the vicinity of 75 percent. It’s a people centred budget according to the Housing Minister who also noted the further relief measures that had been announced by the minister not just for the young but also for the elderly. Ali pointed to the increases in pension coupled with the massive subsidy directed towards assisting elderly persons with bills such as for the Guyana Power and Light (GPL). This is in addition to the subsidies that have been transferred over the years to GPL which he pointed out has managed to stave off any increases. At the time of announcing the relief measures in the budget, Dr Singh had reminded that budget 2013 was crafted in the face of significant external challenges “and I recommitted our government to working together with likeminded stakeholders to confront these and any other impending obstacles, always in the cause of that which is good for Guyana.” Progress might not always be visible overnight, according to the Finance Minister, “but it is very real, and we see it in almost all aspects of national life and, indeed, in so many aspects of our own personal lives too.” |
