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‘This budget frightens me’- Hon Maduro-Caines

- said rising recurrent expenditure needs to be cut down
Opposition Member and Sixth District Representative, Hon Alvera Maduro-Caines has said something must be done about the rising recurrent expenditure in national budgets. Photo: The Charm Academy/Facebook
Baughers Bay in the Sixth District. Opposition Member and Sixth District Representative, Hon Alvera Maduro-Caines has said the everyday stories about persons struggles are mind-boggling. Photo: VINO/File
Baughers Bay in the Sixth District. Opposition Member and Sixth District Representative, Hon Alvera Maduro-Caines has said the everyday stories about persons struggles are mind-boggling. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- Opposition Member and Sixth District Representative, Hon Alvera Maduro-Caines has said something must be done about the rising recurrent expenditure in national budgets.

On November 19, 2019, Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) presented a national budget for 2020 to the tune of $414,008,611.00.

$327,766,149 or 79% of the total budget will be allotted to recurrent expenditure or the operational cost of government.

“I always get frightened with big figures and this budget frightens me, Mr Speaker. I keep wondering if as a government we could sit down and somehow reduce our recurrent spending. It has really been escalating year after year, after year and we really need to put our heads together to figure out how we can cut this down,” Hon Maduro-Caines said during her contribution to the budget debate at the Second Sitting of the Second Session of the Fourth House of Assembly on Friday, December 13, 2019.

According to Hon Maduro-Caines, some persons might get “hurt” and some persons may not be able to travel as much “but we have to do something. This is getting out of control in my view.”

‘We are not doing bad’

The third term legislator said her issue also with a “big budget” is whether the people would benefit from a budget of such size.

“The struggles out there are real and we have to find ways how we can help our people better than how we are doing. We are not doing bad but there is always better. It doesn’t have to be financially but helping them to build themselves also.”

Hon Maduro-Caines noted that opportunities should be in the budget to allow persons to “help themselves to have their own businesses.”

According to her, the everyday stories about what some people go through are mind-boggling. “We know there are some who have this greed but there are some who genuinely need the help…and if elected officials don’t be careful too, as much as we want to help personally, we may end up struggling too, struggling more than they are.”

Line items

Hon Maduro-Caines also pointed out that one of her issues with budgets is the line items.

“I don’t like when certain projects are not being put under line items because I think important projects get lost somewhere in a lump of figures.”

The Opposition legislator admitted; however, she has seen more line items in the 2020 Budget more than any other budgets “but certain projects really need to be set out on a line item so they don’t get lost somewhere in the shuffle.”

14 Responses to “‘This budget frightens me’- Hon Maduro-Caines”

  • lol (19/12/2019, 14:31) Like (2) Dislike (2) Reply
    No wonder she didn't call her colleagues when the speaker was about to call off the debate
  • i wanna know (19/12/2019, 14:35) Like (21) Dislike (8) Reply
    How come the price for that wall baughers bay by the roadside aint frighten her?
    • Jessica Jones (19/12/2019, 16:34) Like (5) Dislike (2) Reply
      Well sah. A wall and a fence. Real dumb a$$.
    • Jaigon (20/12/2019, 00:06) Like (5) Dislike (1) Reply
      @ I wanna know, total waste of tax payers dollars when all roads in her district needs fixing. At least that money could have built one retaining wall on a section of Fort Hill. But yet she is still a member of the, “No Darm Priority Party (NDP).
  • Yep (19/12/2019, 14:56) Like (14) Dislike (2) Reply
    What frightens me is the money and works being wasted on the Baugers Bay project at the moment ! Could have been much cheaper project to tidy the place up there.
  • Eyes out (19/12/2019, 15:18) Like (9) Dislike (0) Reply
    Isn't this the same budget that has to pay her and all the rest of the other pensionable policians who already served more than two terms? Maybe let's start by cutting that down first and giving the hardworking civil servants a raise and their increments on time! Isn't this budget paying all the outstanding bills, rent, lease and lawsuits left to be paid out? I could go on and on but the fact of the matter is as long as there's accountability for every dime and the educators and the department gets the necessary equipment and salary just to state one I see no issue.. The BVI is still not up to par.
  • Ndp sins (19/12/2019, 16:00) Like (25) Dislike (2) Reply
    The 1.2 m wall and the 7.2 m plane frightened me more
  • GG (19/12/2019, 16:05) Like (15) Dislike (0) Reply
    Can you imagine running a business where 80% of the budget goes to operational costs? WTF are we really doing here? Overloaded staffing, paying out pensions while nobody contributes? NHI about to explode because it's not being proeprly funded? Nobody sees a problem here?
  • $$ (19/12/2019, 16:57) Like (3) Dislike (2) Reply
    If only she would use some of that money to beautiful her district. Add some plants and flowers throughout all the district clean the road side regularly, place sidewalks along side several streets, etc.
    • Well (19/12/2019, 19:04) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply

      HEAR THE C**k WHEN PEOPLE IN YOUR DISTRICT GET FLOODED AND GUT RUNNING IN PEOPLE BACK YARD THAT DID NOT FRIGHTEN YOU THAT LIVES AND HOMES CAN BE LOST BUT THE BUDGET FRIGHTEN YOU . YOU SETS OF ///////. YOU ARE A WASTE OF TAX PAYERS MONEY . WHEN YOUR FORMER //////WERE GIVING AWAY MILLIONS YOU WERE IN A TRANCE. SHUT YOUR /// UP.

  • Diaspora (19/12/2019, 20:06) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    The HOA legislate and each member should partake deeply in the debate on agenda items on the floor, including budget. Getting frighten is not going to fix the inherent budget problems. One cannot just declare there is a problem; one has to provide solutions. Yes, the budget is exploding, especially current expenditure. The current path is not sustainable. The recurrent expenditure must be reduced. This will require some tough decision.. But sometime the village needs to be burn down to save. The Hon Maduro Caines, along with the other 12 elected members, must bring solutions to the table. The HOA needs some budget workshops before bringing the budget to the HoA for approval.
  • Forward ever Backward never (20/12/2019, 06:59) Like (5) Dislike (2) Reply

    What a frightened $%^& id*** doing in government? Omg!!! She is frightened of the mess she is partly responsible for creating? Somebody should tell her shut her mouth. Oh, what is the social benefit of the wall Baugher's Bay to her district? These damn legislators have no social conscience.

  • vip (20/12/2019, 23:51) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
    Andrew .i warning yuh .get rid of them bodyguards. That going be your greatest fall! Now we got pay for them .Again if the police here not good enough to protect you
    Then you dont need a force .
    Get one them boys on the block
  • z6ne (22/12/2019, 10:57) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply

    Why this woman don't shut up I'm sick of her right now



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