The leader of government affairs in the National Assembly, Honorable Bernard Georges, said that the 2023 Budget is an extension, an important pillar, the transformation that the administration is bringing to Seychelles from 2020.
Honorable Georges said this when he was giving his answer to the budget for 2023 that the Minister responsible for finance Naadir Hassan presented to the people of Seychelles in front of the National Assembly last Friday. He says that Minister Hassan has given us the latest example in the series of measures that a responsible government that works in the interest of all its children brings.
He says that if we examine the budget speech and analyze its message, we will understand how it is an extension, an important pillar, the transformation that is based on what the administration is bringing to Seychelles from 2020.
He says the way to make a responsible government is to first lay the foundation for a strong economy before spending.
He says that on his side of the opposition, he has a shared philosophy and gives assistance, subsidizes house prices, gives everything for nothing and does not ask for any performance in return.
“Minister Hassan has given Seychelles a positive budget in all its aspects. A surplus budget. A budget that brings comfort to the Seyselwa bag. I am making a call to all Seychelles to do as the government is doing – let’s stop living in negativity and join in positivity. With grace we have come out of hard times and we are entering a time where life in all of Seychelles is improving. Although Seychelles will always have challenges, because we are small, we are far away, and our economy is based on only two or three pillars, despite the fact that we are there thanks to the great powers and we are vulnerable to external shocks and climate change. But despite all this, today we have reason to celebrate. We are living in an extraordinary time under a government that makes decisions when necessary, that is open to its people, that works in the interest of all Seychelles because Seychelles is for all its children.
He says that this has encouraged several phenomena that have led our country to a difficult economic downturn that has been described as a broken carriage.
“It is not funny to see how such a policy is not acceptable in the context of today’s world because it leads to poverty. When someone doesn’t work or contribute to something, he doesn’t appreciate it like he would if he worked for it.”
He pointed out that such a system is also unsustainable, it destroys performance, and it destroys responsibility. If everything you need you get just because you ask, because you are responsible? It reduces the economic performance of our country. A person who does not work or does not work hard, depends on others who work, and who work hard and such a system prevents creativity and reduces initiative.
When he talked about the different measures that the government announced through this budget, Honorable Georges said that the 13th month of salary, the way the government announced it, is a way to inculcate more responsibility in workers and ensure that what performs and what does not perform not treated as such.
He says the government deals with the 13th month in two ways. First of all, it will be reintroduced on the 13th of the month because the government could say there will be no more this year because of the economic challenges and the vulnerability of our country to external shocks.
“But no, in the economic policy of sharing the wealth of the country when it allows, the government has reintroduced the 13th monthly salary. Instead of criticizing, let’s please applaud this decision,” Honorable Georges also asked Seselwa.
He says this budget is also an election budget.
“But this kind of budget, you hope that a government will give in the election year. But what is different from our government is that we do not wait until the election to return to our people the benefits that the country can afford just to get votes. We do it as soon as the situation allows. We are not here to tempt the people with 50 rupees on the occasion of the president’s birthday or with a reduction in rent a week before an election.
He says that a responsible government does not act like this, but rather administers a country in the interest of its people, not in the interest of its leader or in the interest of seeking votes. He pointed out that this budget is also a relief budget and a budget of hope for our people.
Regarding the increase in salary, Honorable Georges said that public sector workers will get an increase – not 50 rupees, not 500 rupees but 10% of their salary after their income has been consolidated.
“At a time when inflation has risen by 3%, a 10% salary increase is a great bonus for this category of workers. Pensioners will continue to receive their 500 rupee increment per month on their security. Schools will get wifi and children will continue to receive a breakfas t. All qualified students are not expected, they are studying outside Seychelles, and their stipend will increase by 10%.
People who are taking loans to build a house, subsidies are increasing, people who are buying houses, the level of value where there is no stamp duty is increasing, home carers are going to a professional level and their jobs will be structured including their 13th month salary. Instead of just floating like before, the tax level is reduced for non-monetary benefits that an employee receives, and much more. And as if that was not enough, SEYPEC has also reduced the price of the pump by almost four rupees. Christmas really came early for us this year,” Honorable Georges said.
He says that all these measures will have a positive impact on the Seychelles and that next year, we will see ourselves in a portion of this budget.
Regarding the different projects, he said that this budget is one that will relaunch infrastructure in our country.
After Covid-19 and the reduction in available funds, the government is unable to undertake many capital projects. He says that with the good management of our economy and the wasteful couple in the last 2 years, there is now a financial space so that the government can, on its own means and with the assistance of friendly countries, restart the infrastructure project in our country.
Honorable Georges says that this budget is a fair budget, which is equitable because on the one hand, the budget finds money for sectors such as sports that are getting 37 million just to train athletes for the Indian Ocean Games and the African Games while culture is being money for the construction of a new National Archives building.
In the meantime, there will be nine new social workers who will be recruited and the home carers will be given a legal framework. More importantly, the budget for the services that the Social Protection Agency manages for that portion of our population that needs assistance is a larger one, with 1.2 billion rupees, and this is to ensure that within the framework of coping and taking individual responsibility, those who can’t do it he needs to be protected and assisted.
On the revenue side, he says that the government also wants to be fair and just because of the analysis of the revenue of the hotels, and with the realization that the big hotels were not contributing to the level that they should, two taxes will be imposed at a level that will bring a significant income without affecting the industry.
Honorable Georges says that the same issue for the increase in the Immovable Property Tax on foreign houses is here and the tax on securities dealers (which foreign exchanges are registered here in Seychelles). For this, the last Honorable Georges said that it is the same industry that proposed this increase because it is fair and equitable.
“In its policy, the government does not want to introduce any new direct taxes on the private sector. This is to allow this sector to continue its growth and to give this sector space to increase wages for private sector workers,” Honorable Georges said.
Regarding the public infrastructure, it is with the aim of always reducing the cost of paying rent that the Honorable Georges says that the administration is finally doing what is long before he just talked about it. This is why the government is going to rebuild and build buildings to house government ministries and services such as the National Library and National Archives. The Revenue Authority is going to build its own building behind ICCS.
“This budget is a budget that looks far,” Honorable Georges said.
Source: Seychelles Nation
