By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

The Opposition’s deputy leader yesterday said the Davis administration is using projected $75.5m Budget surplus for 2025-2026 to “swing” The Bahamas into believing the economy is prosperous.

Shanendon Cartwright, giving his Budget debate contribution in the House of Assembly, said the Davis administration “has the country in a mess” and has created hardships through increased taxes and excessive spending.

“The Prime Minister said recently they are cleaning up our mess, but it is this government that has the country in a mess. Despite their talks, despite their laughter, despite them banging on the tables, despite what they will spend in this debate, they have created heartache and hardships for the Bahamian people. Bahamians are worse off than they were four years ago. Just ask them,” said Mr Cartwright.

“A recent poll found 65 percent of Bahamians feel things are worse than before in the ‘new day’ economy. Over the past four years, the tax burden has increased considerably on the Bahamian people, while the Government has increased spending on travel since they came to office. Their travel bill at the end of the fiscal year, 2025-2026, is $73m to the Bahamian people.”

Mr Cartwright voiced doubts that the Government will be able to meet its surplus target as it is currently behind on the 2024-2025 Budget goals. “The story of the surplus is much more than the fact that the Prime Minister did say in his communication that his government has achieved a Budget surplus. Now, the deputy prime minister came back and said that, you know, budgeted,” said Mr Cartwright.

“While this could only be speculative and a projection, as the Government is running a deficit for the nine months of this fiscal year, they are behind, but yet they are projecting a surplus in a fiscal year that has not started. The Bahamian people only see a surplus of more games, a surplus of more smoke and mirrors.”

Mr Cartwright questioned how the increased revenue to achieve a fiscal surplus will be generated, and pointed out that the Government revised its surplus projections for 2025-2026 from $448.2m in the 2024-2025 budget to now $75.5m.

“Where is the revenue coming from to achieve a surplus? How are you going to get 20 percent growth in revenues for 2025-2026 when you are not likely to meet your projections for 2024-2025? So forgive us and the Bahamian people if we do not believe you. Past experience has shown us, the Bahamian people, that your word is no good and it cannot be trusted,” said Mr Cartwright.

“As a matter of fact, the Bahamian people have not forgotten that this surplus of which they speak and brag about was supposed to be a $448.2m surplus, as projected in the 2024-2025 Budget, and now it’s $75.5m. They revised it, step back from it, a 83.2 percent reduction.”

Mr Cartwright added that the Davis administration is “drowning in their own promises”, and using the projected surplus to “swing” the public into believing the economy is doing well.

“The Bahamian people don’t believe it. They are drowning in their own promises. They can’t even trust their own word and the Bahamian people definitely don’t trust it. The Bahamian people know what is certain about this government. They make a surplus of promises that they have failed to deliver on,” said Mr Cartwright.

“Even more insulting is that the announcement of this surplus gimmick is being used as a tool to convince the Bahamian people, swing the Bahamian people, into believing that things are so good and so prosperous that we are living in the land of milk and honey, and money is flowing.”