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Services dwindling with each new Budget - Hon Fraser

- says someone should sit down & rationalise where $$ is going
Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3) has raised concerns that Budget estimates continue to increase, yet according to him, services are on the decline. Photo: VINO/File
Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3) was at the time speaking at the December 13, 2019, budget debates in the House of Assembly. Photo: VINO/File
Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3) was at the time speaking at the December 13, 2019, budget debates in the House of Assembly. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - With the Virgin Islands (VI) set to begin 2020 with a fully approved $414,008,611.00 National Budget under its Green Strategy initiative, Opposition legislator and Third District Representative in the House of Assembly (HoA), Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3) has raised concerns that budget estimates continue to increase, yet according to him, services are on the decline.

Hon Fraser was at the time speaking at the December 13, 2019, budget debates at the Second Sitting of the Second Session of the Fourth House of Assembly and even remarked that the HoA is underfunded.

"What bothers me more than anything else about this Budget Mr Speaker... is not the size really... but its the fact that services have dwindled since the days of a $119M budget when I came into office," Hon Fraser said.

"The services we are receiving, Mr Speaker, are far inferior than the ones we were receiving with our $119M budget," he reiterated. 

'Where is the money going?' - Hon Fraser 

Hon Fraser then moved to question, "Where is all this money going?"

He said some budget estimates such as those like the $42M subvention for the BVI Health Services Authority is a comfortable figure given. 

"I remember when they were struggling to get $28M," he said. "Someone needs to be able to sit down and rationalise where this money is going and is it necessary," Hon Fraser further underscored. 

According to Hon Fraser, funds should be managed and disbursed in a more prudent way, including better management of services across the Territory. 

The National Budget was assented by Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert on Friday, December 20, 2019, then gazetted on the same day.

On the passing of the 2020 Budget, Premier Andrew A. Fahie (R1) had indicated that his Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government is one with a difference in terms of management of the territory.

He said in a statement it has been a very long time since any sitting Government has been able to successfully complete all the stages of the budget process on time.

11 Responses to “Services dwindling with each new Budget - Hon Fraser”

  • Anonymous (27/12/2019, 09:39) Like (4) Dislike (11) Reply
    well if he had stayed with the VIP he would have been there to help Fahie!
    • he safe where he is (27/12/2019, 11:35) Like (13) Dislike (5) Reply
      Fraser don't want to be caught up in no scandals
      • BVI Blogger (27/12/2019, 12:10) Like (3) Dislike (1) Reply
        It was the NDP who had him in a scandals over the Sea Cows Bay harbor...I remember the debate
  • Diaspora (27/12/2019, 12:41) Like (7) Dislike (2) Reply
    Undoubtedly, the Hon Julian Fraser, D-3, is a talented, smart, knowledgeable and experience politician with the potential to have led the territory with the late Premier Ralph T. O’Neil exiting stage left. IMO arrogance, pride and the desire not be a faithful follower. Being a faithful follower does mean jumping over the cliff behind a leader. It is disappointing on the path he had chosen; he over estimated how popular he was.

    Nonetheless, I’m with the Liberator on his take on dwindling service delivery: “What bothers me more than anything else about this Budget Mr Speaker... is not the size really... but its the fact that services have dwindled since the days of a $119M budget when I came into office," Hon Fraser said.” The BVI has an approx $1,000, 000,000 Gross Domestic Product, sum of cost of goods and services produced within the territory border in a year. Further, for at least the last 3 or 4 budget cycles, the territory’s budget has averaged $300M; even in 2018 after the 2017 hurricane catastrophe, its budget was over $300M. However, with a $1B and an average $300M budget, what is there to show for it? Does the territory have First World road network, water supply system, wastewater system, education system, health system, electric power generation, production and distribution system, public safety ( police, fire, security),public works and engineering system, environmental preservation and protection system, social system, sports and entertainment, heritage and culture, reliable ferry and other transportation system......etc. NO. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Independent study needs to be conducted on what the territory got for its past $300M budget and what will it get for $414M? With the type of money that has flowed and is flowing through the BVI, what has the taxpayer gotten. All residents should be alarmed on the return on investment. This low level of return is not sustainable. The BVI needs some serious structural adjustments. The structural adjustments apply to more than money and should include legislation, processes, practices, procedures, institutions, agencies, operational effectiveness , strategic position.....etc.
  • BREAKING NEWS (27/12/2019, 13:47) Like (5) Dislike (7) Reply
    We will regret not making julian fraser premier of this country
    • Reply (27/12/2019, 16:08) Like (6) Dislike (3) Reply
      We have the right premier in Hon Andrew Fahie the peoples Man
    • Fahie is the man for the job (28/12/2019, 21:41) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
      We don't regret it one bit just look at how he treat his people speak to the ones that don't support him
  • @Breaking News (27/12/2019, 15:01) Like (7) Dislike (5) Reply
    I feel you. I think though that we will regret not making Hon. Skelton the Premier of this country.
  • Quiet Rebel (28/12/2019, 09:16) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Every year the national budget is increasing. No surprise that the budget is increasing, for in the natural order in the universe the cost of doing business always shoot up and rarely drop. Nevertheless, the VI budget needs a scrubbing to see what is driving the increase. Is the increase due to a)rising cost of goods and services, b) increasing demand for services, c) low return return on taxpayers dollars, d)low productivity, e)low efficacy in executing the budget, f)poor budget management........et? Whatever the cause, taxpayers are not getting value for money; the level and quality of service delivery is diminishing yet budgets are increasing and cost rising. Is the cost rising just due to inflation? Probably not. The budgetary issues did not start on Feb 26, 2019; successive governments have had budget issues. For example, the NDP giveaway $7.2M to BVI Airways, a bruk airline with a shady past, and up to this day the BVI taxpayers cannot get a proper and full accounting of the expenditure. The giveaway happened with the bat of an eye. The supposed intent was for the airline to start direct flights from Miami to Beef Island yet though it has been several years since the giveaway not one passenger has embark in MIA and disembark in EIS. Instead of advocating for an $80K high-end luxury vehicle(s) ( perhaps an expensive vehicle will improve performance), the Crown needs to commissioned a commission of enquiry into the $7.2M giveaway, construction of TPP......etc.

    Here is a news flash. No government can investigate itself, for that is like putting rat to mind box cheese. The BVI has bragging right that though tiny it has one of the largest budgets in the region. Though that may be true, dem say talk is cheap and money buy land. The ???? are what are VI taxpayers getting for their money? Are we getting good roads, quality healthcare, top of the heap education, quality and reliable water supply, are black outs, brown outs, unstable voltage rare, is the smell of and sight of raw sewage history, environmental protection reach a critical mass, nightmare parking in Road Town thing of the past, the embarrassing lack of central library, the lack of a functioning central market, poor ferry service, broken labour and immigration system, an agricultural system on life support, the vaporizing of the once national sport——softball......etc.

    Stop the unconventional nonsense and focus on conventional core issues. This is real life, not a game show. We are talking about people’s live, personal well-being, the way forward......etc. Except for the cronies who are impressed with the nonsense? On the morning of Feb 26, 2019, there was great hope and expectation. But perhaps that was a mirage, for executive experience matters and lack of is showing. The modern era founding fathers/mothers, ie, HL Stoutt, TB Lettsome, Williard Wheatley, CB Romney(?), Ethlyn Smith, Ralph Oneal, D. Orlando Smith (still alive?), Noel...etc have passed on so who will take up the mantle and chart a new course forward?
  • opposition (28/12/2019, 10:30) Like (1) Dislike (2) Reply
    Bodyguards, unnecessary rent, expensive suv's, consultancy contracts, entourage travelling etc are what carrying up the national budget
    • @ opposition (31/12/2019, 06:46) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      40 m over run on the ports along with a missing 7.2 m plane and a 1.6m wall at the high school. Now go smoke that


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