September is never a good month for a mother's bank book. School fees, uniforms, books, extra-curricular activities, and the list goes on ... I'm certain I was not alone as I checked my balances this month to notice that my credit card bill was just as well endowed as my current account. That would not be so bad were it not for the few outstanding bills not yet presented, and the fact that I still had 23 days and six hours until payday. Savings, here I come!

As I contemplate the reality of living beyond my means, I find little comfort in the fact that there are many who are worse off. I could, for example, be Audley Shaw sitting down at his new desk and checking the nation's balance sheet. Now, that guy is going to need a drink!

The Bank of Jamaica's figures state we have in the NIR US$2,067.29 million (J$14,057.572 billion) which would be a good thing were it not for the fact that summary of Central Government's fiscal operations suggest that in 2005/6 alone we had a deficit of $21,039 million. Estimates of the national debt run to J$1 trillion. I, too, could have a hefty savings account in reserve if I took out huge loans to fill it with. Our new administration has enlisted the help of Don Wehby, who plans to address this monumental issue as his first matter of business. Good luck, pal!

Conflict of interest

The Opposition has argued that Wehby's appointment represents a conflict of interest, as his former employers are supplementing his income. As there has been transparency in Wehby's appointment and benefits, I cannot see how he would have any more of conflict than the then Prime Minister Portia Simpson had when her husband worked with Cable and Wireless; the former Minister of Education who had a child in school while she was in office; or the present Minister of Agriculture who has a fish farm.

Ministers are chosen by their experience in the field and they are expected to be transparent in their actions, and accountable for them. Any successful financial guru was bound to be gainfully employed; attracting him is in the interest of the nation and should not be presented as a negative. Perhaps Mr. Wehby can be proof that a competitively paid minister can resist corruption.

Too good to be true

Statin suggests that unemployment is at 9.5 per cent and inflation for the period of July 2006 to July 2007 was at 5.4 per cent. I have long wondered what planet Statin is getting its data from. Surely, the basket of goods used for the CPI is not the same basket I push around the supermarket, and one has to wonder if walking street and kicking stone is now considered to be employment, because if this administration manages to provide the extra 130,000 jobs we should have 'full employment' and begin to see the benefits of the same. It almost seems too good to be true.

The picture is a grim one regardless of how you sugar-coat it, yet there are businesses here that are doing well. There are people who are underutilised and could do so much more if the environment was right. The Government must create this environment, tax exemptions on capital expenditure that can prove to generate jobs and new business.

Instead of the tax department placing its focus on money that has already been made, they should get involved at the outset so the business is compliant and working with the tax department from the early stages, and reap the benefits once the business has grown. The country is filled with people who are working to get ahead. This Government should ride that wave, focus on the positives and put their money where their mouth is.