I want Jamaicans to understand what this budget is all about, especially given reports that our budget has contracted. Here are the facts: This fiscal year’s budget has us paying less towards debt. In the last fiscal year which closes in March, we paid 317 billion towards our principal debt. This year we will be paying 163 billion. That is 154 billion dollars less than we were paying before. In terms of interest, last year we paid 182 billion. This year we are paying 177 billion. That’s 4 billion less. We are simply paying significantly less in debt repayment giving us more money for our development projects like our roads, our water, our hospitals and our social programs. Listen to the facts, make the connection and make sure to understand the issues for yourself. The budget we have presented is a strong and credible one, with NO NEW TAXES.