Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 21, 2025

Today, Nov 29, 2022 is Budget Day; Finance Minister Wheatley’s first Budget

Today, Nov 29, 2022 is Budget Day; Finance Minister Wheatley’s first Budget

It was in May of this year that Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) became Premier and Minister of Finance in a coalition regime of three political parties. Today, November 29, 2022, Dr Wheatley will deliver his first Budget Address.

Honourable Wheatley took over from former Minister of Finance and former legislator Andrew A. Fahie in the third year of a Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Government that was elected in February 2019.

The Budget Address is expected to set out the Unity Government’s spending and revenue priorities before the next general elections.

The next election must be held no later than May of 2023.

Dr Wheatley is expected to deliver his address at the Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff's Bottom on the main island of Tortola, where the Ninth Sitting of the Fourth Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) will convene.

The Budget is a projection of what the Government would like to spend and an estimate of how much revenue it plans to collect, according to figures from the Financial Secretary.

Usually, other Departments, especially the revenue agencies, will make contributions to the final draft speech.


Financial Secretary Jeremiah G.A. Frett. The Ministry of Finance, including the Financial Secretary and their senior staff, are there throughout the SFC meetings to answer questions and be the main resource of the committee.

Public shut out of SFC

It is customary at this Sitting that the Budget Address, read by the Minister of Finance, is the only item on the Order of the Day.

A day or two following the address, the HoA goes into Standing Finance Committee (SFC) deliberation of the whole House to examine the Budget, which is the Appropriation (2023) Act 2022, Clause by Clause and Department by Department.

Public sector agencies and Central Government Ministries and Departments are called in to testify and justify their budget requests and most often argue for more funds. The session is private, according to the Standing Orders.

The Ministry of Finance, including the Financial Secretary and senior staff, are there throughout the SFC meetings to answer questions and be the main resource of the committee.

Once this process is completed, a report of the process is prepared, then there is a debate on the merits and principles of the Bill.

As of publication time, we had no information on the Budget theme or the amount.

The Budget Address is expected to be aired LIVE from 10:00 am on the House of Assembly VI Youtube; House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands Facebook; 780 AM ZBVI Radio; CBN-Radio (90.9 FM); FLOW TV Channel 101; and CCT TV Channel 291.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×