The private sector, civil society, labour unions and other stakeholders on Thursday June 21st had the opportunity to share their views and recommendations contributing towards Dominica’s development ahead of the 2018/2019 national budget.
The Government of Dominica engaged these stakeholders at a pre- budget consultation at the goodwill parish hall.
Following discussions, the hon prime minister and minister for finance, Dr Roosevelt Skerrit assured participants of the value of their contributions.
“We treat these consultations with seriousness. It’s not everything that will find its way in [the budget], but we give you the assurance that we treat every point. We may not agree by our initial reaction, but we do spend time watching [your recommendations] to see what are some of things we can put in place,” the Prime Minister said.
Speaking on Focus on Government and Development on DBS radio last Thursday, the nation’s leader says besides infrastructural development and climate resilience the 2018/2019 national budget, will focus on improving the climate for doing business in Dominica.
“This budget needs to focus on improving the climate of doing business in Dominica. We need to look at what are the challenges that people have in doing business in Dominica and we need to systematically address them,” he stated.
The finance minister said while there have been improvements over the years, there are still complaints. He said his government’s mission is to locate these challenges and work with the private sector to bring solutions.
He indicated that once these recommendations are considered for action with regards to doing business here, a committee comprising individuals from both the private and public sector will be put in place to monitor implementation.
The prime minister believes that once there is greater confidence in the business environment then there will be more room for investment in Dominica.