Opposition spokesperson on finance blasts budget as inadequate
Published:Thursday | March 9, 2023 | 4:13 PM
Opposition Spokesperson on Finance Julian Robinson this afternoon blasted the Government's trillion-dollar budget as woefully inadequate given the realities of Jamaicans.
Making his contribution to the Budget Debate in the House of Representatives, Robinson charged that the budget does not address, in a meaningful way, the fundamental issues that are affecting the Jamaican people.
He highlighted among other things the high cost of living.
Robinson argued that this has impacted the nutritional lives of ordinary Jamaicans.
“The average cost of a low-cost, nutritionally balanced diet for one person is J$4,200 a week as of January 2023. That J$4,200 represents 46.4% of the current minimum wage,” Robinson said.
“Based on these numbers, if even the lowest paid worker is to enjoy the same mix of goods that STATIN (Statistical Institute of Jamaica) uses to determine inflation, then they would need to be paid J$11,730 a week, but minimum wage is $9,000 per week,” he added.
Turning to the vulnerable in the society, Robinson said the amounts allocated for persons under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) are woefully inadequate.
He stated that the J$8.37 billion conditional cash transfer component meant to target 275,956 people works out to an average of J$30,000 per year, or J$580 a week.
“We have already established that a person needs about $600 per day to meet the very basic dietary needs. $580 per 12 week can't even pay for a low-cost, nutritionally balanced diet for one person for one day a week,” he said
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