Government to Publish Citizen’s Guide to the 2026 Budget
The government will publish a simplified Citizen’s Guide to the 2026 Budget, offering the public an accessible breakdown of the country’s fiscal performance and major policy priorities.
The announcement was made Friday by Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant during the post-Cabinet media briefing.
Merchant said the guide has been prepared to help residents understand what the budget means “for the ordinary man in the streets,” presenting key figures and reforms in a user-friendly format accessible by smartphone or computer.
The publication will accompany the full 2026 budget and the Cabinet’s detailed synopsis.
According to the briefing, the guide will explain the government’s fiscal surpluses — including a $154.9 million primary surplus for 2025 and further surpluses projected for 2026 — as well as ongoing debt reduction, with the debt-to-GDP ratio now at 61.4 percent.
It will also highlight major health-sector investments scheduled for next year, including the opening of a renal care centre, the reopening of the cancer centre, the establishment of a chest and cardiac centre with China, and the launch of National Health Insurance.
The citizen’s summary will further outline youth-focused initiatives such as the government’s commitment to cover all CXC exam fees and continued upgrades to public-school technology systems, along with digital-transformation projects including revenue-system digitisation and a new transparency portal.
Merchant said the publication aligns with the administration’s broader push for openness and public engagement as it prepares for what officials describe as a “people-centered” budget. The guide is expected to be made available to the public as the budget debate gets underway next week.
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This is all well and good by this to declare “citizens guides”, but how about Members of Parliament guides?
Isn’t it long overdue that they declare financial and other interests to Antiguans?
Here’s a few examples for declaration/or guides:
1. Outside earnings (with anything over $1000 declared)
2. Gifts or sponsorships to be publicly declared
3. Land and property worth over $300,000 (excluding primary homes)
4. Trips outside of Antigua where costs exceed $1000 and aren’t paid by the MP
5. Lobbying that could be a conflict of interest in regards to influencing Parliamentary actions
6. Family members that may lobby, and could influence the Public Sector
These MPs guidelines would be a good opportunity for transparency that may return some sort of trust in our politicians.
The ABLP want guidelines for us, and we want immediate guidelines from them.
Remember, this proposal should be a two-way street, and not one way into a one-way cul-de-sac.
Hitla also had guidelines
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