Opposition leader Aubrey Norton in his assessment of the 2024 Budget presented by the Senior Minister Dr Ashni Singh on Monday, contended that the 2024 National Budget comprises projects that are not integrated, not part of a proper plan and represents a “classic case of poor allocation of resources.”
Norton during a live panel discussion on the APNU+ AFC Facebook page stated that the budget again puts wealth in the hands of the wealthy while just “under 10 percent is being spent on people.”
The Opposition leader criticized the country’s first trillion-dollar budget for focusing on building schools rather than improving teachers’ salary, offering no training to the detective arm of the Guyana Police Force and not doing enough to eradicate poverty.
Among the measures that the opposition leader wanted to see included in the Budget are the implementation of a night school programme for school dropouts to be certified and an increase in the income tax threshold to $150,000. Nevertheless, Norton is pleased at the move towards the cancellation of student debt.
Meanwhile Opposition member of Parliament Amana Walton-Desir speaking to members of the media after the presentation of the budget contended that the budget reflects more of the same and expressed disappointment in the fact that more money was not given to the University of Guyana.