THA to present $2B budget

THE TOBAGO House of Assembly (THA) will most likely unveil a budget package totalling just under $2 billion on June 23. Senior THA officials are however keeping the exact figures in the THA Estimates of Expenditure 2003/2004 close to their chest.

“More than $1 billion but less than $2 billion” was all THA Chief Secretary Orville London would say yesterday when pressed by reporters. He did say though that preliminary work on the fiscal package had been completed and all the Secretaries and Administrators were “comfortable” with the projected figures and proposals. London and Secretary of Finance Dr Anselm London will meet with the Finance Minister at 10 am today as part of the consultative process. On Wednesday there was a final meeting with the various Secretaries and Administrators of the Assembly on the budget proposals. “I can say that all the preliminary work has been completed. We have an idea of a number which unfortunately I cannot reveal at this point in time but I think that all the Administrators and the Secretaries are comfortable with the figures and the kind of projections that we have for this process.” The real fireworks will come three days after the Budget presentation when the financial proposals are debated at the regular monthly plenary sitting of the THA. This sitting, on June 26, is expected to go way into the night to facilitate approval and forwarding of the Budget to the Parliament within the June 30 deadline.