By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement (FNM) leader Michael Pintard has slammed the Davis administration’s latest budget, branding it a “pre-election stunt” and dismissing the government’s projected 2025–2026 fiscal surplus as misleading.

Following Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ budget communication in the House of Assembly, the opposition leader accused the government of painting a false picture of economic success while Bahamians continue to grapple with rising costs.

“They’re selling a dream of opportunity island by island,” Mr Pintard said, “but Bahamians are not feeling any relief.”

While Mr Davis announced that the government had balanced the budget and was on track for a surplus, Mr Pintard challenged this, arguing that past performance casts doubt on the optimism.

“They have demonstrated no ability to manage the people’s money prudently,” he said, pointing to record revenues matched by equally high expenditures on what he described as political patronage and unnecessary luxuries.

Mr Pintard noted the prime minister’s own projections of a fiscal deficit between 0.3 and 0.7 percent of GDP — potentially over $100m — are far from reassuring. The FNM expects the deficit this year to be closer to $200m.

Recalling the mid-term report in December, Mr Pintard highlighted a deficit of $395m and more than $122m in unpaid bills. “Nobody is buying any talk of a fiscal surplus next year when just this past December, the government was facing a fiscal hole of over $500m,” he added.

The opposition leader said the surplus claim rings hollow to those still awaiting payment — contractors, nurses, and vendors alike. “When Davis says the government hasn’t made any cuts, clearly he has forgotten the people the government owes,” he said. “If there’s a surplus, call the government. They should have more than enough to pay the bills.”

Mr Pintard also criticised the government’s handling of VAT, especially on essential goods. After the FNM removed VAT from feminine hygiene products and medicines, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) reinstated a 10 percent tax, later reducing it to five percent in what the opposition calls damage control.

“These are measures we had already implemented,” said Mr Pintard. “They reversed them, then claimed credit for partially fixing their own mistake under pressure.”

He accused the government of failing to address key tourism issues, such as the growing shift from stopover to cruise tourism, and of lacking a coherent strategy.

Turning to unemployment, Mr Pintard said nearly 20 percent of young Bahamians remain jobless, and even those with jobs struggle to keep up with inflation. “The question is, do Bahamians feel any difference in their daily lives? The answer is clearly no,” he said.

The FNM leader also claimed that capital spending is being channeled to the politically connected, deepening inequality and leaving ordinary citizens behind.

Reacting to the prime minister’s announcement of new firefighting resources and a fire station through public-private partnership, Mr Pintard said these efforts fall short. He renewed calls for an independent fire department and volunteer brigades on each Family Island, stressing the need for a full inventory of national firefighting resources.

“The question is not what the government promises on Budget Day, but how many of those promises they will break,” Mr Pintard said. “We won’t let them rewrite history or stifle our future.”

He promised the FNM would present a clear economic vision during the budget debate, including a return of VAT exemptions on essentials, targeted investments in the green, blue, and orange economies, and real support for small businesses.

“We will ensure Grand Bahama and the Family Islands are a priority, not an afterthought,” he said.

In response, Mount Moriah MP defended the government’s record, claiming the country is in a stronger position than under the previous FNM administration.

“The opposition had the chance to present an alternative. They didn’t,” he said. “This budget is about real progress—not theatrics or political points. When you govern seriously and put people first, progress happens.”