Youth debate: What to expect from Budget 2016-17

It was recently announced that the Budget will be presented around June. With a new Minister of Finance, expectations are high for the people, who are anticipating a much needed economic boost, higher job creation, and wide range of social measures. In our weekly series ‘Youth Debate’, the main finding is that the youth expect the government to come up with a result-oriented budget.  [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"19028","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-32623 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"201","height":"304","alt":"Sheik Dinmahamed"}}]]Sheik Dinmahamed: “The budget should cater for the needy” 26-year old Educator, Sheik Dinmahamed, highlights that the upcoming budget must lay emphasis on absolute poverty. “Unemployment should be eliminated to avoid having one unemployed graduate per family. Furthermore, the urgency for exceptional measures worldwide to save the planet and the compelling need to take urgent and immediate measures for the protection of the environment is vital. Added to that, healthcare provision should be improved. Sports should be encouraged so as to decrease prevalence of non-communicable diseases like diabetes.” He advocates that the budget should cater for all the needs and most importantly, to meet the objectives of socio-economic progress. “It is therefore necessary to find out all possible sources of funding so that sufficient revenue can be generated to meet the rising expenditures. Except when a major ‘shock’ is required, most structural measures can be implemented progressively.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"19029","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-32624 alignright","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"202","height":"365","alt":"Thayvanee (Yoshinee) Valaydon"}}]]Thayvanee (Yoshinee) Valaydon: “New policies for employment” University student Yoshinee avers that the government, led by Sir Anerood Jugnauth, will implement new policies in the upcoming budget, where employment, sustainable development, social justice and equity will be promoted. Laws concerning traffic congestion, construction of proper dams to alleviate problems caused by flooding, and the modernisation of the health sector should be the main priorities. “Traffic congestion, being one of the market failures that an economy faces, can be resolved to avoid daily difficulties faced by citizens. One suggestion can be the introduction of a congestion charge (toll fee), such as implemented in India and the UK. In addition, expanding roads to four lanes can facilitate driving thus reducing congestion which might also decrease road death tolls.” She adds: “Apart from the recruitment of health officers, the budget should also include modern health facilities for which people tend to travel abroad and as such, the country loses a lot of capital. Why not invest in the provision of such health care facilities, which will result in less expenditures and lower loss of revenues? Through the implementation of such projects, issues such as unemployment and rising road death tolls could be solved,” she states. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"19027","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-32622 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"200","height":"321","alt":"Kovila Somadoo"}}]]Kovila Somadoo: “Invest on more technological equipment” Kovila, a 23-year-old student at the University of Mauritius, puts forward that the priority of the upcoming budget should be to boost investments and job creation for youngsters while providing training to acquire experience. “Education should be one of the highest priorities for the government from primary to university. It should also get rid of bogus institutions. Moreover, more speed and CCTV cameras should be rolled out. Strict laws or penalties should be introduced; more sensitisation campaign should be implemented to reduce the number of accidents. In the health sector, the government should invest on more technological equipment, some hospitals are still in a horrible state.” The last budget was a relatively fair one, as the government increased subsidies for people suffering from serious illnesses. “The ban on plastic bags was a good incentive. The new budget should lay more emphasis on sustainable development for a clean environment including bio-farming and solar energy production.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"19030","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-32625 alignright","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"199","height":"351","alt":"Zohra Gunglee"}}]]Zohra Gunglee: “Long-term growth is being compromised” Educator in a private secondary school, Zohra Gunglee argues that for decades, we have kept reiterating that the priority of the government should be the creation of employment, not only the creation of graduates – jobless graduates. “One of the country’s major resource is its human capital. It is high time that Mauritius invests in this resource and makes optimum use of it. With the massive number of jobless graduates who might be losing their skills and become obsolete, it can be said that Mauritius is operating under its productive capacity. Long-term growth is being compromised.” She adds that if certain sectors are saturated, others can still be exploited, the blue economy is an example. “The budget should either create jobs or promote self-employment. We have a great deal of Mauritians with brilliant ideas and excellent entrepreneurship skills, but all they lack is capital or proper guidance. I admit that previous budgets have provided loan schemes and various measures encouraging entrepreneurship, however, we need much more of such measures.” “Additionally, the programmes promoting employability such as the Youth Employment Programme (YEP) and so on should be closely monitored to prevent unscrupulous employers from exploiting fresh graduates during grant period and discarding them after that period to recruit other fresh graduates. Such practices should be stopped, otherwise, the YEP as well as other such programmes will simply be a waste of resources.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"19026","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-32621 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"184","height":"201","alt":"Karishma Loky"}}]]Karishma Loky: “The government should be more eco-friendly” 20-year old Karishma argues that the government should focus more on employment. “Nowadays, many people do not have a job. Many graduates and HSC holders want and do something in life, but they are not given opportunities. Moreover, the government should be more eco-friendly by focusing on renewable energy. In addition, poverty might not be completely eradicated but the government can help the needy in meeting their basic needs. Most importantly, the government should introduce new laws concerning crimes, thefts and violence. The law should be strict and act as a deterrent. People should not feel scared to walk on the road.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"19024","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-32619 alignright","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"200","height":"339","alt":"Abhishek Fowdur"}}]]Abhishek Fowdur: “Priorities are employment and new economy” Abhishek Fowdur works in the marketing department at Amity Global Business School. For him, the priorities should be employment, new economy, and a review of public expenditure. “Job creation is a vital point because it will not only decrease the number of unemployed graduates which hovers around 5,000. It will also have a positive effect in the circular flow of money. This will increase the purchasing power of the graduates and boost the economy, the number of taxpayers will increase, thus alleviating the budget deficit. More tax means more money can be spent on fighting poverty.” By ushering in a new economy, he says, the country can circumvent the slack crippling the world economy. “Re-structuring the agricultural sector, emphasis on ocean economy, evaluation of the transport system, e-services, re-engineering of international finance, promoting a green economy, all these factors, if they can be reviewed again, Mauritius will definitely match the development of Singapore. A new economy will lead to efficiency gains and low inflation.” Abhishek avers that the next budget should differentiate itself from previous ones in many aspects. “Free trade should be reviewed to encourage investments in Mauritius. CSR should be re-introduced. Taxing policy should be reviewed to target high net-worth individuals. First and foremost though, retirement age should be reduced to 60 years or less. The 5-year extension to retirement age means that fresh graduates have to wait longer for a job.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"19025","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-32620 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"199","height":"413","alt":"Akshay Seedoyal"}}]]Akshay Seedoyal: “Improved education, healthcare and social services” Freelance lecturer at the University of Technology and Open University of Mauritius, Akshay Seedoyal argues that the government’s focus should be on minimising market gap as regards to the alarming youth unemployment rate. Start-ups could be a possible immediate remedy to that. Some of the most immediate issues to be addressed by the budget, according to him are: stimulating the SME sector, tapping opportunities in the African Growth and Opportunity Act, and further consolidating the financial services sector by seeking new horizons which will become job generators to the existing and upcoming generations. “The government should team-up with new air corridors in European countries such as Scandinavian countries. This would open up new cooperation in trade, education, health and fishing industry. Infrastructural development as regards to the upgrading of drainage and sewerage systems and strengthening road networks to neutralise trafic congestion, among others, ought to be at the forefront of its priorities. Last but not least, the government should invest heavily in digitisation of its services and into technologies which would help in wiping off drug trafficking and crime.” He further explains that the State should consolidate existing economic pillars and open-up new sectors which can generate jobs while helping in attaining the country attain the high income economy category. “The ocean economy, education sector, medical and biotechnology fields and logistics sector could mould out the new economic architecture of Mauritius. Moreover, all new undertakings by the government have to be accompanied by research and innovation.” He believes that the Budget 2016/2017 shall be centred around improving education, healthcare and social services, democracy, equity and meritocracy.