Shadow Finance Minister Responds To Budget
[Updated] The OBA overspent their budget by $45 million, increased the size of Government by 233 persons and increased travel spending by 48%, Shadow Finance Minister David Burt said today [Feb 21].
This comes after Minister of Finance Bob Richards delivered the 2014/15 Budget today, which said that the overall budget balance is projected to be a deficit of $267.3 million, a $64.3 million or 19.4% deficit reduction when compared to the 2013/14 deficit of $331.6 million.
Mr. Burt said, “Today the Minister of Finance attempted to give a long and unbalanced economic lesson, while ignoring the shortcomings which presented themselves in the first year of OBA Governance.
“While the OBA talks about spending control – they overspent their budget by $45 million, in spite of the wage concessions offered by unions.
“While the OBA promises streamlining –they increased the size of Government by 233 persons. While the OBA preaches prudence – they increased travel spending by 48%.
“While the OBA brags about the fall in the unemployment rate – Bermuda lost 911 jobs in 2013.
“All this while the OBA still speaks of the situation that they inherited by the previous government – However the facts mentioned above happened under their watch.
“Though the PLP concedes that we must reduce the cost of the government – it is wholly unrealistic for the Minister to propose $70 million of cuts without recognizing the impact that it will have on government jobs.
“What was also noticeable in the budget statement was the lack of specifics on Banking, Energy, and Health Care Reform. These areas of the economy are critical for Bermuda’s recovery and long term growth.
“I was encouraged by the Minister’s initial statements, especially regarding banking, but we need more than ‘government is in discussions’ to see if we can work together on these important topics.
“I look forward to presenting the PLP’s reply to the Budget on February 28, 2014 – where we will lay out our alternative plans for the growth, diversification, education and empowerment of Bermuda and Bermudians.”
On an unrelated note, a writ was filed in the Supreme Court today against Mr. Burt by Premier Craig Cannonier.
Update 6.58pm: Following comments below, we asked Mr. Burt to provide clarity on his statement and he provided the chart below. He cites both the copy of the Budget available online [PDF], as well as the full Budget book.
“increased the size of Government by 233 persons”
THEY TOLD YOU THEY WOULD CREATE JOBS!
The PLP are finished – DUN!!!!
Can you possibly put a number on the “overspends/increases your administration/party deliver to us the public in the 14 years. look at the big picture sir.
Where is Burt getting his data from? I looked at the budget, and while the Government did overspend on travel, they did so only to a degree of 8%, not the 48% Burt claims.
Also, I cannot find anything in the budget that hints to an increase of ovr 200 government workers.
Also, I checked the National Economic Report (which sources its employment information from the Labour Force Survey): it claims that the number of public administration workers has *decreased* by 80 workers.
Mr. Burt should offer some clarity on his claims.
Mr. Burt’s data is right out of the Budget book, as produced by last budget and this year budget data…. FACTS
Well done Mr. Burt.
No it isn’t
Can we compare these figures to 2010/2011 actual and 2011/2012 actual? Also facts.
And that sir is basic maths and why we are so deep in the hole, 1+1 = 2 not in PLP speak
I was thinking the exact same thing. He claims that they are facts but has not backed them up with any form of evidence. Someone needs to provide him with a copy of the budget.
and a calculator
@RJ, I think the shallow min Burt had a few to many swigs of swizzle??? This type of miss information only inflames their supporters!! This was a good budget and let’s not forget it was the Plp budget they were running on until now!!! I can totally understand why the likes of Burt is in the trouble he is in with the suits launched against him!!!
The article has an update at 6:58pm. Now you have your facts.
Well as a dummy(applause) when it comes to things like this; he is quick off the mark to point out.
I assume he was given a copy of what transpired today.
How else can you comment and research what is only 8 hours old.
Pass the rum……….
Shadow Ministers have access to the budget brief as soon as possible. Comparison between last year and this year budget provides lots of hard data and FACTS….well done Burt.
Whatever betty
PLP shut up, you can’t count. That’s why we are broke.
SOrry if the FACTS hurt you, to discover the UBPoba have not SAVED on those key items as promised…I understand your pain and the other diehard UBPoba fans. REALLY
Definitely wasn’t the OBA. Or the UBP. Something happened during the last few years …
From the Labour Force Survey released last month:
“Employment increased to 35,989 in 2013 from 35,874 in 2012.”
As usual Burt is making things up.
Good Evening Bernews readers. I am happy that my statement has stimulated so much debate. I am currently working on my Budget Reply but I have read the comments above and I have sent the editor an update to answer your concerns. Though you may not agree with me, I do take my job seriously as it is an awesome responsibility. Thus, I do make sure that I do my research as it does nothing for Bermuda if I’m publishing incorrect figures. I assure you all that I can add and subtract
.
Onion, in response to your specific point – may I point out that the Labour Force Survey that you are referring to also said that last year employment in Hotels increased by 1,078 (Page 5) and Restaurants, Cafes and Bars by 856. Both figures of which I think all reasonable people can agree are not correct, especially when we’ve seen contraction and layoffs in both of those industries.
I am not attacking the department of statistics, but you must understand that the Labour Force Survey is a survey of 700 households – and thus is not an exact measure of jobs, but an estimate extrapolated from that survey.
The Annual Employment Survey is the best measure of Jobs in the economy, and what both the Minister and I use when speaking about Jobs in Bermuda. This is because all businesses with paid employees are required to participate in the Survey under the Statistics Act. The 2013 figures were first revealed in the National Economic Report released today which can be found online.
Have a good weekend, and if you can, have a swizzle
and relax!
can you answer my question of 5,52 then
@mp Burt, I actually do appreciate you posting on here and thank you!! But please for the sake of all of us Bermudians deliver a responsible reply because the politricking of old needs to stop!! Way too many Bermudians are suffering because of the previous policies of your government!! I can tell you straight up right now, if the plp are seen as being part of the solution it could very well pay dividends for you in the end, I actually don’t care who is in power, as long as that party is conducting itself in a prudent way which will lead to Bermudians being better off!!! Just please stop the protectionist stuff that actually leads to your supporters being un employed!! We need people working!!!
This will be my last comment as I really must get back to work on my speech: It is not easy work dissecting a budget and constructing a reply I a few days – especially after the Minister’s speech was exceptionally long!
Kangoocar Please take a look at:
http://bernews.com/2013/03/plp-deliver-reply-to-the-201314-budget/
http://bernews.com/2012/03/senator-burt-investment-in-our-peoples-future/
http://bernews.com/2011/03/senator-on-budget-debt-finances-more/
That was my response last year and my 2 budget speeches as Junior minister the years before. Have a read and then judge for yourself whether or not I take my responsibility seriously. As for protectionist – again read what I’ve actually said.
The country deserves a Minister and a Shadow that take their responsibilities seriously and are honest with the people of this country. We have big problems to face in this country and our problems are BEST faced when we work together. Throwing blame solves nothing BOTH Parties have made mistakes and neither party is perfect. However between the two of us we can serve this country and come up with good policies that work for Bermuda while taking into account all of the people Bermuda (OBA & PLP & Non-Voters).
I sometimes disagree with the Minister of Finance but I do respect him as someone who puts forth good points for economic debate. He does his homework for his speeches, and I have always done mine as the country deserves a vigorous debate on the issues.
Please feel free to drop me a line at dburt@parliament.bm if you have any comments on my speech from last year – or any ideas and thoughts for this years reply.
As much as I would like to debate on here all night, I must get back to work.
Thank you, will read your links, will give you the weak to reply in the house next Friday, after that I will email you. And give you my thoughts
Burt is such a gentleman
Providing the background data to your statements was very helpful and your response was very good. I particularly like your admission that “Throwing blame solves nothing BOTH Parties have made mistakes and neither party is perfect.”
In closing, the first point about the budget overspend of $45m is regrettable but when put in perspective of past PLP budget overruns of $70m during 2011-2012 and $32m in 2012-2013, it is comparable.
The second point about the increase in government personnel, may primarily be due to the fact that there has been better accounting of the personnel database of government. From what I have read or heard, the job establishment list of government have not been well maintained.
Again thanks for background data
“This country deserves a Minister that takes their responsibilities seriously” someone like Paula Cox maybe? where were you then Mr. Burt? Next to her?
WELL SAID MR BURT>>SPOT ON !!
You are such a fool. You agree with any and everything the PLP does or says. Give it a Break.
Thank you.
That my boy, i wish you were my rep
Mr. Burt,
Keep up the excellent and hard work you and your fellow colleagues are doing and not just for the better for you but for all born Bermudians, I will keep my comments which I have many limited due to the fact this is the media, not a favorite of our party,so enough said you have my email and wish to hear from you soon, peace
Born bermudians? What a joke mate.Trace your family roots. None of us are from here. At some point in time all of our decendants came here from somewhere else. So stop with that eegrance.
It seems like anywhere in the world people can claim where they where born and be proud of it but when it comes to Bermuda its, no one was here, do you feel the same about U.S.A, Canada, Australia ,etc, etc where these people claim these nationalities and their descendants came from somewhere else?
Just asking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So in the end of your thread you’re basically making a joke about something illegal. Stellar conduct for a minister. Smh.
Really. I thought I read that it was unemployment that increased…
what a useless rookie..he needs to take some math lessons and soon
I wonder which foreign consultant is doing Burt’s homework for him.
YOU just can’t stand to think that he can actually count can you…Typical! same ole same ole WS BS!
What is it about Mr. Burt that makes you feel that he is not that intelligent??? Could it be the old sterotyping at work again?
Burt’s burgess’s little wannabe ******
Check my numbers but it looks like the last 3 PLP budgets they overspent by an average of $245 million each year.
What a bunch of jokers.
Onion…I think he pealed you! lol!
Actually, that was their project deficit, in their last 2 years of power they overspent those deficits by more than $90 million, $30 one year, $60 million the other I believe. That brought their actual deficits to over $300 million. An important note to consider is that it is nearly impossible for any government to not over spend their budget, especially in this economic climate. The true measure is how much overspending they can reign in, and the OBA has pulled back this year, hopefully for all parties they can maintain that trend. At least we have stopped hearing the lies that the economy is fine, that everything will pull itself around on it’s own, when the former minister delivered her ‘wait out the storm and see’ budgets from 2008 – 2012. That was too many years for Bermudians to wait for a minister to take action about reality. I still look for a budget that will put primary focus on improving education and healthcare. Our children need to be ready to be our future business leader, leaders in our industries, and education is current ill equipped to effectively improve that. I believe the PLP’s national health plan would have been disastrous, the lack of detail and their historic failing with the existing government health plans was a recipe for higher cost to the people. We need proactive ways to tackle unnecessary health costs at the hospital and ensuring we protect our vulnerable population. No minister has yet to try this.
The PLP have the benefit of not having to try and quantify there responses with operational cost and numbers, so it will be interesting to see if they actually try produce a response based in reality this time. It is ignorance for anybody to try and deny that cuts are needed for Bermuda to survive, the measure will be ensuring those cuts do not negatively impact the economy and the OBA has shown that they are working hard to try and avoid that. We all need to hope that they succeed and the PLP need to end their attempts to bring down the government, because all they are doing is bringing down Bermuda and our economy.
Total agree with you, i guess gov should conciderer cut the prison budget as each prisoner cost almost78.000 a year to maintein it in prison!!!!!!!
How can you say the OBA has pulled back….they cut the salary of CS, they cut Educational scholarship, than spent that $200 million plus $45 million more.. so their true over expenditure is $245 million…cuts are inevitable but, what the govt does with that saving needs to be discussed…
If this guy ever becomes finance minister we are well and truly cooked.
Him as Finance Minster……who really would vote for this. Hemust have not used a calculator to jump at some of these figures. I can’t wait to hear his budget speech or his claims. If I was him, I would make sure, Paula or one of them Lister brothers takes a look at what he is going to proclaim in the public eye.
Mp burt is an intelligent young black man, that makes a lot of you shake in your damb boots. Go for it david !
Damb intelligence .
If Burt is “intelligent” then we have no hope for our future. He is run of the mill and would be nothing spectacular in the private sector. Yet he thinks he can run our country’s most important ministry? Politicians truly think way too much of themselves.
Here we go with the “Young intelligent black man” statement again.
Bob Richards is a “young intelligent black man” too ( well, maybe not so young)
My friend, don’t waste your time. There will always be people who sleep better at night if they can hold onto those racist illusions. What you are responding to for the most part is fear. Burt’s well written statements speak to his intelligence. And the not-so-intelligent, offensive and contemptuous comments that we see every day in this paper speak to the intelligence (or lack thereof) of its writers.
I am an OBA supporter but must say that commentators on these forums do themselves an injustice by constantly towing the party line. Mr. Burt, IMO, has said some foolish stuff in the past but he gave a brief response based on some numbers in the budget book and then even came on and quite politely responded to some posts in here. Good behavior should be encouraged when it occurs and I would prefer that Mr. Burt and his PLP colleagues act more like this response in here which was well mannered than previous rhetoric of the last few weeks.
So even as an OBA supporter, I thank the shadow minister for acting like one in this instance and look forward to hopefully hearing a decent debate in the house.
Does David Burt have his CFA? What are his qualifications?
Seriously?
What are the premiers qualifications?
Lol
Deflect deflect deflect. It’s all you ever do. What does the premier have to do with your young bright rising star’s non-impressive résumé? Nothing. But whatever. Pray tell, what the **** are Burt’s qualifications that make him suitable to run the country’s most important ministry? Hint: he has none. Aviation school? lmao.You must love taking swipes at fellow black men as it’s all you ever do. Jealous much?
Deflecting is a skill learned from the Anti-PLP people
Bob is a better option than Burt yes and he also is a better option than Craig.
Ask yourself Bob or Craig? Michael or Craig? Grant or Craig? Patricia or Craig? Trevor or Craig? Jeanne or Craig? Mark or Craig? etc etc
Mind you I would take Craig over Nandi and Shawn
Compare the two…
http://www.parliament.bm/Bob_Richards.aspx
http://www.parliament.bm/E._David_Burt.aspx
Burt said we need someone who is honest with the people. Lawd he MUSTA been drinking his swizzle when he wrote that part. Burt/PLP honest?
I believe this when I see cows laying eggs and pigs flying across my 34th fl penthouse balcony.
Your ivory town ?!!!
Would you trust someone with finances when he didn’t even know you need a liquor licence to sell liquor ???
If you are good worker be on time, no wasting time texting or in internet or having hours spending on break for breakfast or lunch, you should not be scare of privatization, actually would be great to clean the jobs for lazy people. Im seeng this actions all the time every day as I work with gov. Better rules and better resourses will put people actually to work.
You not loose the job just change the contract from gov to private sector wich will be more strictive! So you should move ur ass and really work
Think u r on the wrong topic brah
The OBA actually said last year they would be increasing travel as they would be travelling to attract new investment into Bermuda. The only real way of achieving that is to get on a plane and speak to people. As a new Government they had to go and tell people that Bermuda was under new management and that Bermuda was now open for business. So Burt knows how to make a good headline but the truth is something rather different. If you look at the projections for travel expenses going forward they decrease as the investment will have at that stage been found and there will be less of a need for travel. Burt is so far out of his depth compared to Bob it is plain for all to see. To think that the PLP have no one better for the Shadow Ministry is very telling. Not saying Burt is not a good politician, just shouldn’t be trying to compete with Bob as his counterpart.
@ Lois Frederick if what you say is true…wouldn’t the OBA have budget for increase traveling…
Rhonda, how could the OBA budget for increase travel??? You guys need to understand that this is The FIRST OBA budget!!! The last one was the plp budget because when the OBA were elected, there was not enough time to change much!! This is were you guys go wrong????
Just cleaning up your party’s mess Burt!!!
I am not a fan of Burt however I appreciate him doing his job. We need a strong opposition to ensure the Govt is doing what is in the best interest of Bermuda. It is good that we are getting back on track with the people business.
Burt is a Spin Doctor whose real name is Betty Trump! He has little interest in facts and will take whatever he can and spin it to suit the PLP’s purpose. Bean is just out right deceitful but Burt is not far behind….Beware Bermuda, they are working had by any means necessary to wreck this Administration and the truth will not stand in their way, or reason or established fact. This is what is offered for leadership and we would go on the road to run with thise two at th helm! Time for the PLP Parliamentary Group and caucus members to start being honest about their view of the leadership…in the interest of Bermuda, Bean and Burt both need to go!
Thinking people , hopefully there are enough of them, will realize that this is a very sensible budget in the dire circumstances, that we find our selves in. Burt’s automatic fault finding does him no favours, and in fact makes him seem silly. He could have gained respect from informed citizens by supporting most of the budget. Criticism for the sake of trying to appear important does not impress.
He is doing his job as opposition. You do know that’s what the opposition is suppose to do?