Last Updated on December 13, 2019, 5:11 AM AST by Chris Matthew

St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr Timothy Harris on Thursday, December 12, presented before the National Assembly the Appropriation (2020) Bill, 2019, of approximately EC$848.9 million for the fiscal year 2020.

The Appropriation (2020) Bill, 2019, is the Bill to present for the services of Saint Christopher and Nevis for the financial year beginning January 01, 2020, and concluding on December 31, 2020.

The recommended allocations which outline the proposals for both recurrent and capital expenditure are: 

  1. Governor-General EC$2.2 million
  2. Federal Parliament EC$2.2 million
  3. Audit Office EC$1.3 million
  4. Ministry of Justice, Legal Affairs and Communication EC$52.5 million
  5. Office of the Prime Minister EC$47.5 million
  6. Ministry of National Security EC$99.2 million
  7. International Trade, Industry and Commerce EC$4.1 million
  8. Ministry of Finance will receive EC$272.5 million.
  9. Ministry of Community Development, Gender Affairs and Social Services will collect EC$37.6 million
  10. Ministry of Agriculture, Human Settlement, Cooperatives and the Environment will be granted EC$15.9 million
  11. Ministry of Tourism EC$35.2 million
  12. Public Infrastructure, Post and Urban Development and Transport will get EC $83.5 million
  13. Ministry of Education will collect EC$89.9 million
  14. EC$61.9 million is towards Health
  15. EC$15.7 will be allocated to Youth, Sport and Culture
  16. Ministry of Sustainable Development will be given EC$19.2 million
  17. Foreign Affairs and Aviation will receive EC$20.6 million
  18. Office of the Attorney General EC$13.9 million
  19. and the Ministry of Nevis Affairs, Labour, Social Security
  20. Ecclesiastical Affairs will receive EC$3.4 million.

Presenting the $848.9 million Budget under the theme, “Let’s Keep Building a Strong and Safer Future for St. Kitts & Nevis,” PM Harris said that his Team Unity Government “advances to make a difference in the lives of our people living here in the Federation.”

This year also marks the fifth continuous year that the Team Unity government has offered a tax-free Budget.

PM Harris said, “The chances are very good for continued growth and development of our twin-island Federation. Such great tidings also draw spirit that we would be able to implement our programs for 2020 without the foundation of new taxes. We would therefore design and make an extra effort to roll out these plans which are designed to move our country first.”

The initiation of the Appropriation (2020) Bill, 2019, came after the placing of the Estimates of Expenditure, which were approved by the Honourable House.

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Chris Matthew is a well-seasoned expert in feature writing, with a strong focus on covering international updates.. He blends his creative thinking with a journalistic mindset to report on events and issues across the world with precision and accuracy.