#BTSpeakingOut – Reduced government spending critical

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by Michael Ray

“The real goal should be reduced government spending, rather than balanced budgets achieved by ever rising tax rates to cover ever rising spending” – American economist and historian, Thomas Sowell.

“If we don’t get a grip on government spending, there will be no growth” – Former British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osbourne.

The reason given that a Senior Minister of Government has to hold another Minister to account does not hold water.

If a Senior Minister must hold another Minister to account, then who is to hold the Senior Minister to account?

There is an increasing sufficiency of management tools, instruments and data that inform and guide business within government as well as the private sector.

For the Deputy Prime Minister to simply say that government intends to “drill down where the bottlenecks are within government and to work collectively and assiduously to ensure we are able to carry out the mandate of this administration” exposes an admission of an inability to perform as competently as previous Cabinets have done.

To have Senior Ministers looking over the shoulder of other Ministers is a waste of human and financial resources driven by a duplication of effort.

Any appointed and sworn Minister of government should have as a first order of business, the commitment and determination to execute the functions of his/her portfolio and not the overseeing of another Minister.

As a senior citizen and taxpayer, I am appalled that in difficult economic times, the present administration sees it fit to appoint Senior Ministers of government and then vote a supplementary from the Consolidated Fund as part-payment of salaries.

In difficult times, government expenditure ought to be “lean and mean” outside and beyond productive projects.

While many hands make light work, many hands also contribute to the Treasury dispensing of larger emoluments for ministers, advisors and consultants.

Every effort should be made to limit and control unnecessary government spending.