Amory Blames Nevis’ Poor Fiscal Performance on Lack of Federal Support and SIDF Funds

(ZIZ News) — While modest successes were reported, a very gloomy picture was painted, in Wednesday, of the fiscal situation in Nevis when Premier, the Hon. Vance Amory, addressed residents on the quarterly performance of the island.

Throughout the report, the Premier seemed to suggest that the island’s problems remained the fault of the former Nevis Reformation Party government which left office in January 2013.

“It is no secret that we have had to operate under difficult financial conditions over the past few months. Increasing fiscal deficits and high levels of indebtedness were some of the challenges that my administration inherited and have had to overcome,” he said adding that “In spite of the challenges, we continue to look ahead to a period of growth, prosperity and an increase in the well-being of our people. We are confident that our economy is on the right path and that the policies we implement today will bring the desired reward in the short and medium term.”

With salaries due soon, and it being public knowledge that the Federal government has had to rescue Nevis’ civil servants several times this year as the NIA was unable to meet its basic salary obligations to civil servants, Mr. Amory declared that without Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation grant money, the rumoured double or triple salary bonuses would be impossible for his government to meet.

“Even though up to this point we have managed to maintain fiscal balance in the manner in which we have run the administration, to be called upon to pay a double salary and or as the threat has been sent out, a triple salary in December, would create additional burden on the administration and this burden, we would not be able to meet that from our resources,” he explained.

“We would therefore like to believe that the SIDF resources would be utilised and we would receive some grants from the SIDF to ensure that were a double salary declared or a triple salary as it has been noised at the meeting by the Prime Minister, that we would be able to make that payment to our civil servants,” Amory said.