Video: Opposition Reply To The Budget
[Updated] Shadow Finance Minister Dr. Douglas De Couto is delivering the Opposition Reply to the 2025/26 Budget and you can tune in and watch live below, and view all our coverage of the 2025 Budget here.
Update 7.43pm: The full Budget Reply follows below [PDF here]:
Update May 10, 10.27am: A PLP spokesperson said, “The One Bermuda Alliance’s Budget Reply contains several glaring factual errors and misrepresentations that expose either a troubling lack of understanding or a deliberate attempt to mislead Bermudians.
“They describe their approach as “moderate, transparent, and realistic,” yet their approach would mean cuts to the very initiatives that matter most to Bermudians: affordable housing, road repairs, health care expansion, and the targeted tax relief introduced by the PLP to ease the burden on working families.
“What they are trying to sell as “fiscal discipline” is really a scheme to reverse investments that help build toward a Bermuda where everyone can live, work, and retire with dignity
“The OBA also dismisses immigration as a “controversial and emotional topic.” That language is a stark reminder of the OBA’s disconnect from Bermuda’s people and their overall lack of sympathy or empathy for the real concerns of the people who cast them out of office and have repeatedly rejected their approach.
“The OBA has already demonstrated what it would do if it were ever to regain power. During its single term, it slashed education funding and scholarships, refused to invest in affordable housing, tried to open the immigration floodgates, and tried to slash women’s access to mammograms.
“The PLP are committed to managing the economy prudently, while ensuring that we share the benefits of Bermuda’s economic progress – and our record speaks for itself. That is why, this year, we have balanced the Budget while also:
- “Building more affordable housing for Bermudians
- “Investing in education and scholarships
- “Increasing funding for Police and more support for at-risk youth
- “Expanding FutureCare to give more seniors greater access to the medication they need & access to preventative exams
- “Additional funding for the hospital to improve services
“Unlike the OBA, the PLP believes that Bermuda’s economic success means little if it doesn’t improve the lives of everyone. The PLP’s budget commits funding to the island’s needs while reducing the burden of taxation for every Bermudian to build a fairer Bermuda for all.
“The OBA’s budget reply shows that the party hasn’t changed its philosophy or approach, which is why the electorate rejected it for the third time in a row and voted for the fairer Bermuda that the 2025 PLP Budget delivers.”
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