Govt mulls private sector plan to boost ease of doing business

The government is examining a detailed set of proposals from the private sector aimed at cutting red tape, removing investment barriers and improving the ease of doing business in Barbados, ahead of Monday’s national Budget, Barbados TODAY can reveal exclusively. 

 

Further details on the proposals were not immediately available but they represent the positions of the ten business organisations that make up the umbrella Barbados Private Sector Association (BPSA), Chairman James Clarke disclosed late on Tuesday. 

 

The measures were presented to Minister of Finance Ryan Straughn during talks on Monday night that lasted about two hours, he said. 

 

“It was certainly a very engaging meeting. We believe the government will take the time to study the various proposals that were put forward, because they were all based on national objectives to facilitate business, and ease of doing business, with the ultimate aim of helping to grow the economy,” Clarke told Barbados TODAY exclusively.  

 

“So, this includes also the removal of impediments that can cause challenges within various sectors of the economy; and we believe we are all on the same page in terms of business development. We need to look at these things very carefully, considering the uncertainty in the global economy,” he said, though refraining from elaborating on the proposals until after the government finishes studying them.  

 

“The government has to have the opportunity to study the various proposals, so we won’t be able to go into any details at this stage. However, we are looking forward to the Budget; and there is the opportunity afterwards for the private sector to discuss the impact of it, and at that point then, we should be able to report back to the press and the public our take on the Budget and the likely impact and effects on the economy.”  

 

The BPSA represents the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Barbados Small Business Association, the Barbados International Business Association, the Barbados Manufacturers’ Association, the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, the Barbados Bankers’ Association, the Barbados Employers’ Confederation, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Barbados, the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries, and the Barbados Agricultural Society.  

 

The association contributes to national policy and social development through dialogue within the social partnership that involves labour unions and the government.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb