Statement by an International Monetary Fund Mission to Jamaica | UHY Dawgen Chartered Accountants Blog
Mr. Jan Kees Martijn, Head of the IMF mission to Jamaica, issued the following statement today in Kingston:
“Over the last three decades, the Jamaican economy has experienced very low economic growth, declining productivity, and reduced international competitiveness. An important factor behind these problems has been Jamaica’s unsustainable debt burden, which has undermined confidence and elevated risks to economic stability. Additionally, Jamaica’s high debt service has limited the government’s potential to provide the services needed to achieve sustained rates of growth and increased welfare for its citizens.
“The IMF mission continues to work assiduously with the Jamaican authorities on an economic program that can help address these challenges and can be supported under a Fund arrangement. We have made significant progress in reaching key understandings on strengthening macroeconomic policies, including through achieving and sustaining higher primary fiscal surpluses, which can help underpin debt sustainability; on structural reforms that can pave the way for private-sector led growth; and on social protection for the most vulnerable.
“With regard to fiscal policies in particular, Fund staff have been working closely with the government and its advisors in exploring policy options that can help achieve a substantial reduction in debt, while promoting sustained growth. It will be necessary to reduce the debt by a very sizeable amount from current levels to restore debt and external sustainability. The targeted reduction will require significant fiscal consolidation as well as measures to reduce the debt burden upfront, given the magnitude of the task. In addition, the structural impediments to growth—including the excessive debt burden—need to be addressed with urgency, to lay the foundation for a sustained recovery in economic fundamentals. In that regard, a key challenge is how to balance trade-offs among these key objectives, within a specified time horizon.
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Mr. Jan Kees Martijn, Head of the IMF mission to Jamaica, issued the following statement today in Kingston:
“Over the last three decades, the Jamaican economy has experienced very low economic growth, declining productivity, and reduced international competitiveness. An important factor behind these problems has been Jamaica’s unsustainable debt burden, which has undermined confidence and elevated risks to economic stability. Additionally, Jamaica’s high debt service has limited the government’s potential to provide the services needed to achieve sustained rates of growth and increased welfare for its citizens.
“The IMF mission continues to work assiduously with the Jamaican authorities on an economic program that can help address these challenges and can be supported under a Fund arrangement. We have made significant progress in reaching key understandings on strengthening macroeconomic policies, including through achieving and sustaining higher primary fiscal surpluses, which can help underpin debt sustainability; on structural reforms that can pave the way for private-sector led growth; and on social protection for the most vulnerable.
“With regard to fiscal policies in particular, Fund staff have been working closely with the government and its advisors in exploring policy options that can help achieve a substantial reduction in debt, while promoting sustained growth. It will be necessary to reduce the debt by a very sizeable amount from current levels to restore debt and external sustainability. The targeted reduction will require significant fiscal consolidation as well as measures to reduce the debt burden upfront, given the magnitude of the task. In addition, the structural impediments to growth—including the excessive debt burden—need to be addressed with urgency, to lay the foundation for a sustained recovery in economic fundamentals. In that regard, a key challenge is how to balance trade-offs among these key objectives, within a specified time horizon.
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