Got TIPS or BREAKING NEWS? Please call 1-284-442-8000 direct/can also WhatsApp same number or Email ALL news to:newsvino@outlook.com;                               ads call 1-284-440-6666

2023 Budget passed to tune of $412M; Now with Governor for assent

Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley wrapped up the debate following contributions made by Members of the House both on the 20th and 21st of December 2022. Photo: HoA/Youtube
DUFF’S BOTTOM, Tortola, VI - The 2023 Budget of the Virgin Islands (VI) has been passed the tune of $412,971,110, at the Ninth Sitting of the Fourth Session of the Fourth House of Assembly on December 21, 2022.

The budget will comprise of comprise of $340,872,400 for recurrent expenditure; $49,428,600 for capital expenditure; $7,148,810 in contribution to various statutory funds; and $15,521,300 towards repayment of the principal on our debt according to information.

Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley wrapped up the debate following contributions made by Members of the House both on the 20th and 21st of December 2022.

As part of his presentation, the Premier thanked the members for their contributions to the debate on the merits and principles of the bill titled, Appropriation Act, 2023.

Gov't now position to move forward 

With the passage of the 2023 Budget estimates, the Government of the Virgin Islands is now positioned to move forward with its public programmers and key infrastructure projects.

Premier Wheatley emphasized that his government is taking steps to ensure that the BVI meets its requirements outlined in his budget speech under the theme: 'Resilience, Revenue, Reform, and Recovery: The Virgin Islands in Transition' by the end of the 2023 financial year,” a release on the initiative noted.

The Premier affirmed that the budget represents a simple but largely comprehensive matrix of what his government has accomplished during the 2021 year and what the priorities and parameters of our mission in the upcoming year and beyond should be, given the international geopolitical and economic climate, and the situation closer to home. 

The Bill is now in its final stage before it can be fully utilized and has been presented to Governor John R. Rankin to be assented.

 

16 Responses to “2023 Budget passed to tune of $412M; Now with Governor for assent”

  • well look wha we come to (23/12/2022, 15:18) Like (3) Dislike (5) Reply
    Gone to Massa for the final signature
  • What DF (23/12/2022, 15:36) Like (21) Dislike (0) Reply
    Thats the same budget like St. Kitts. . Twice the population more activities, more cruise ship, more tourist, double salaries. huge Music Fest, CPL cricket..all sponsored by the Govt..We need to do more, we need to get more from this large budget .. Then again 1/5 of our budget goes towards office rental. St kitts dont have that issue. St kitts is the fastest rising prosperous caribbean country. We have some tuff decisions to make so we can rise again...
  • Wilmington Delaware (23/12/2022, 15:37) Like (17) Dislike (0) Reply
    A modern city of 70,000 people annual budget of $ 250 million BVI annual budget 400+ million. Something very very wrong. Where does it all go ?
    • Real (24/12/2022, 10:16) Like (6) Dislike (0) Reply
      good question imagine we paying the slave masters for slavery whole system corrupt to the core
  • justin (23/12/2022, 15:46) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    just yesterday i telling an old school friend all the chat some of us have yet we will have to wait for governor to validate our laws
  • rattie (23/12/2022, 15:57) Like (5) Dislike (2) Reply
    His first and last budget
  • Increments (23/12/2022, 17:13) Like (7) Dislike (0) Reply
    I hope 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 work year increments in there for Public Officers. Ludicrous behavior of these politricksters! And don't bother comment that Public Officers don't work. Many of us do and we go hard every day!
  • Ho,ho (23/12/2022, 18:22) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Hope HALF OF THAT BUDGET,going to fix that f.....and dump.
    It s XMAS and you still.poisonning Us
  • King Charles I (23/12/2022, 19:00) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    During the budget debate which was held a few days ago the Premier said the budget was $376 Million.
  • what a time (23/12/2022, 22:04) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I don’t don’t the process of passing bills but I hope that is the governor usually sign off on all the bills or is this the Smoke before the fire is the governor running the show if so I guess. The country under direct. Rule the next few month all that in the dark will come to light
    • Money. No results. (24/12/2022, 09:37) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
      Too much Police. Waay too much. Now they training another 15 or so recruits that have to be paid, we the public aint getting our money valu, can hardly see police on the streets,, What are all these police doing. Why we need this much..Quantity is not the answer, quality officers can cut the force in half and be more effective ..Something is grossly wrong..
  • Native senior citizen of tbe Bristish Islans (23/12/2022, 22:53) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    With careful political money management I don't our budget need to be that high for 2023. If we are to experience good governance , proper accountibility of the estimate (gestimate) pasted must be closely monitered .
    A few week ago a suggested $399÷ Million dallars was spolen of. A few persons suggest the it have been rounded to $400M. Now the present budget estimate (gestimate is aproximately, if my memmory served me right, $14M higher.

    Commonly in the BVI millions of dollars are uncollected, and milliins of dollars are still unaccounted for. Who truly to believe, and trust,? Must we beliwve and trust this Ununified self proclaimed Unity Governmenr? Must we believe and trust in the Uk?
    Must we believe, and trust in ourselves? No! Take chances with man, but trust only in God our Creator
    here is a biblical scripture that says, "Let God be true, and every man a liar.
    However, our Governor, John J. Rankin is in charged to approve or not to approve our budget estimate, iike it or not.
    Don't forget that honest accountibity of our, the public, money being spend by our political leaders on our behalf is necessary in order to experence good governance for all our citizens of the BVI, and visitors, too. Agree?
  • Mustang (24/12/2022, 03:09) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    theme: 'Resilience, Revenue, Reform, and Recovery: The Virgin Islands in Transition' by the end of the 2023 financial year,” a release on the initiative noted.‘ Resilience, Revenue, Reform and Recovery are nice alliteration. However, the needs more than nice budget alliterations. It needs to maximize budget efficiency, delivering the best services to the most people. On average over the last three fiscal years, the BVI budget has been equal to or exceeds $400,000,000. With a $412,000, 000 maintenance and operations and capital budget, it can and must do better a) pot-hole riddled and severely deteriorated roads, b) overgrown bush along roadway, c) underperforming health services, d) non-competitive educational output, e)poorly maintained public buildings and other facilities, g) poor public works services( staffing PWD with non-engineering manager/leader not effective. Good is not acceptable; better is better and desired), h) unsafe, poor quality, and unreliable potable water supply, j) raw sewage flowing in streets, etc. Moreover, is the BVI truly financially independent?

    The NVI supposedly attained financial self-sufficiency in 1979 under Dr. Willard Wheatley (Premier Natalio Wheatley grandfather) administration. In essence, it canned grant -in-aid but not the control of the colonial masters. Is the BVI truly financually independent, ie, in control of finsncial destiny and having to ask Mother may I? No. The UK-appointed colonialist Govenor John Rankin (does it mek sence in 2022 for a Governor to supposedly represent a people who had no say in his/her election or appointment? No. That is undemocratic). The UK-appointed has control over BVI’s budget by a) power of assent ( Guv has to give assent to budget bill before a penny from the 2023 budget can be spent to day retired civil servants), b) reserved power given through the constitution ( Guv can unilaterally appropriate/allocate funds from budget not allocated by HoA., Protocols for Effective Financial Management, etc. The BVI may have attained finsncial independence but still has to beg Mother May I. The current constitutional arrangement leans too much on a dependency model. The CRC must recommend and government negotiate a less dependency model new constitutional arrangement.
    • wondering (24/12/2022, 12:28) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      how on earth could grant in aid be a bad thing???? Time to stop this LIE.
  • Nutin lef 2do (24/12/2022, 11:37) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Did he went to visit the head coach. Call election bossy.


Create a comment


Create a comment

Disclaimer: Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) welcomes your thoughts, feedback, views, bloggs and opinions. However, by posting a blogg you are agreeing to post comments or bloggs that are relevant to the topic, and that are not defamatory, liable, obscene, racist, abusive, sexist, anti-Semitic, threatening, hateful or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be excluded permanently from making contributions. Please view our declaimer above this article. We thank you in advance for complying with VINO's policy.

Follow Us On

Disclaimer: All comments posted on Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) are the sole views and opinions of the commentators and or bloggers and do not in anyway represent the views and opinions of the Board of Directors, Management and Staff of Virgin Islands News Online and its parent company.