Garth Minott | A budget is a moral document

Budgets are moral documents. This is the title of an article by Catholic priest Fr. Travis Russell. A criminal justice policy advisor for the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology in the United States, he worked with Jesuit refugee Service in Malawi, taught at Verbum Dei High School and also served as an assistant at L’Arche Seattle. I’m especially struck by the article as it points to debates in the US House of Representatives on a bill in 2021 which proposed to cut spending on welfare, especially for those in poverty and the households of the poor.

This priority of people, the burden of Russell’s article, became a point of interest for me in the debate locally leading up to the last general election in Jamaica on September 3. One of the hot button items was the proposal to reduce income tax rate paid by employees. In one instance the proposal was to reduce it by 15 per cent and in the other by $3.5 million. In the end, voters chose the former as, among other things, the feeling is that the latter was too expensive and therefore not affordable at this time.

Fr John takes this matter of affordability to task and, in the spirit of a budget as a moral document, he argues that it is not so much the numbers on a page that makes the difference but whether we can actually commit to doing what is necessary for the growth, development, health and wellbeing of the population, especially the poor and other vulnerable groups.

GROW JAMAICA’S ECONOMY

This brings me to the well-known thrust, some years ago, to commit to grow Jamaica’s economy by five per cent in four years. With a launch that was incomparable, speeches which left me feeling extremely upbeat, presentation of data to show that this was not only possible but achievable. The goal seemed very realistic, and, the fact that high-profile business leaders were assigned to lead the charge, I was left with very little doubt that this was possible. Fast forward to the present, and, before we even get there, I could not help but recall a debate leading up to the 2020 general election in Jamaica.

The then minister of finance, Dr Nigel Clarke, indicated that though the target of five per cent growth in five years (five in four) was not achieved, the goals of reduced unemployment, poverty, and debt to GDP ratio meant that the fundamentals were achieved Here, Fr Russell’s point is germane, in that, while broad-based targets were achieved, the fact that other areas of the economy, such as increased productivity and reduction in the size of the informal economy continue to lag, which are critical for sustained growth, means much more work is still needed to address the problem.

Moreover, critics argue that the vulnerability of the Jamaica economy to external shocks, such as high tariffs, and to local instability, such as hurricanes and natural disasters. This vulnerability is further complicated by the country’s high dependence on income from tourism and mining. In the case of tourism, with more and more voices cautioning against over reliance on this enterprise, despite resilience during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, its vulnerability from global economic shocks and natural disasters must spur us in the direction of income generation from diverse sources.

Failure to do so will continue to make economic growth an elusive undertaking. Further, high electricity and crime, which were key features in 2016, were underestimated and though in the case of crime, where there was reduction in major ones, still, there remains challenges to access justice and equal opportunities by the majority.

NO EASY FEAT

To successfully address the challenges outlined above is by no means an easy feat. Fr Russell’s discussion of a similar challenge in the US, where law-makers in the House of Representatives voted to cut spending, was akin to creating an environment which turns a blind eye on corporal works of mercy. These works, along with spiritual works of mercy, are designed to be accompanied by acts of compassion which together form individuals and communities which respect human life, value community, build trust, and engender a spirit of cooperation and collaboration.

In the final analysis, we must learn from the Italian Marxist and political activists, Antonio Gramsci, who argues that to achieve political and economic success, the needs, welfare, aspirations, and hopes of the people must be taken into account and must take centre stage. This is a moral imperative and is reinforced by Jesus of Nazareth in Mathew 25 where he focuses on kingdom imperatives of food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, help for the stranger or migrant, clothes for the naked, and, visits and care for the sick and those in prison.

All these point to a national budget as moral document, with an obligation to address critical issues, such as increased productivity, whether in draft or at the implementation stage. In doing so it must take cognisance of the lived realities of the people as they must be at the centre of national development.

Rt Rev Garth Minott is the Anglican bishop of Kingston. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com