According to the Premier, some 625 businesses have not yet benefitted from their share of the $6.5 million stimulus package that was set aside for that expressed purpose.

1,883 applications received

During the Sixth Sitting of the Third Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) at the Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff's Bottom, Tortola on March 10, 2021, Premier Fahie fielded questions on the subject from Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, Honourable Marlon A. Penn (R8).

Premier Fahie disclosed that a total of 1,883 business grant applications were received.

“Of the applications received, a total of 1,258 applicants have received notice that they were approved to receive grants. Mr Speaker, no business received any notification that they were denied,” he said, adding that the 1,258 applicants have received their stimulus cheques.

However, Hon Penn informed the HoA that there are persons who have not yet received assistance, and as per his figures, that amount is over 600.

“How are we going to address those businesses?” Penn questioned.

Premier and Minister of Finance Hon Andrew A. Fahie  has said 1,258 applicants have received their stimulus cheques.

'We could not allow one person to go with seven cheques!'- Premier

It was then that Premier Fahie explained the reason.

“The COVID-19 Grant Programme is ongoing, and the other area we have to recognise is that some persons would have put in for multiple trade licenses.”

“Some decisions had to be made; if they had seven trade licenses with seven different businesses, we could not allow one person to go with seven cheques. So there was also a decision to space it out to make at least many persons across the diaspora and the BVI get some kind of stimulus cheque from the stimulus grant,” he said.

The stimulus grant was part of the $62.9 million package, $40 million of which was funded by the Social Security Board in a bid to cushion the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.