BRADES, Montserrat, Apr 9, CMC – Premier Reuben Meade has presented an EC$311.7 million (One EC dollar =US$0.37 cents) budget to Parliament saying that the development of Montserrat is a challenging task in the wake of nearly 30 years of ongoing volcanic activity.
Meade told legislators that the impact and legacy of the eruptive events are wide ranging, far reaching and consequential.
“It is difficult but we genuinely believe it must be done for the generations that will follow us. We simply cannot write off this emerald jewel. In the words of our territorial song, we all need to rise up and make our country great, with art and skill and sacrifice,” he added.
The total estimated recurrent expenditure is EC$175.8 million and the total estimated capital expenditure is EC$135,9 million and Meade said that the estimates for 2025 represent an increase of almost EC$20 million over the previous year.
He said that the local revenue contribution to the recurrent budget is EC$55.6 million, bolstered by the United Kingdom’s recurrent budgetary support of EC$120.2 million.
“Recurrent expenditure is 56 per cent of the total budget. With this budget, this government, which I have the honour of leading, will be making a substantial investment in Montserrat’s future in terms of physical and social infrastructure, as well as capacity building for our people,” Meade told Parliament on Tuesday evening.
(Details in Business section)
CMC/2025