Antigua's 1.9Bn Budget Passed In House Of Representative

• Antigua and Barbuda’s EC$1.9Bn 2024 national Budget (Appropriation Bill 2023) has been passed by the House of Representatives without the approval and participation of the opposition members.
• Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who is also the Minister of Finance, criticised the opposition for their boycott of the budget debate, which ended on Tuesday night. The Ministry of Education, Creative Industries and Innovations has been allocated the largest proportion of the budget at $198.6 Million.
• The Prime Minister’s Ministry and the Ministry of Finance and Public Private Partnerships received $177.7Mn, while the Ministry of Health, Wellness, Social Transformation and the Environment was allocated $160.5Mn.
• Some measures included in the Budget are the implementation of a 10% excise tax on alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis products, increasing the Antigua and Barbuda Sales Tax rate from 15% to 17%, and the introduction of an environmental charge.

(Source: Caribbean Loop News)