THE 2005/2006 Budget Debate failed to spark the interest of the general population, according to the latest Gleaner-commissioned Don Anderson poll.
But while only about 28 per cent of all persons interviewed claimed to have watched or listened to any element of the presentation by Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Omar Davies, more than 46 per cent of the affluent representatives of the population said they paid attention to aspects of the presentation.
"This is noticeably larger than the next big group of persons who interacted with the presentation ... older persons 45 years and above ... where one in three did listen or watch the presentation," said pollster Don Anderson in his analysis.
But while interest in the Budget Debate was low, the majority of those who paid attention considered the raising of the General Consumption Tax (GCT) the most critical aspect of the debate.
Just over 51 per cent of persons said the increase in the GCT to 16.5 per cent from 15 per cent was the most important budget announcement made. This comes after previous years in which it was clear that a new $14 billion tax package in 2003 and 70 per cent of the budget going to debt servicing in 2004 were the top items revealed.
Anderson and his team of researchers from Market Research Services Ltd., conducted the poll between May and June 2005. A nationally representative sample of 1,037 persons, aged 18 years and over, was interviewed in all parishes across the island. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent.
PRESENTATIONS TOO LONG
According to Anderson, previous research findings indicate that most Jamaicans consider the budget presentations to be too long and difficult to understand. He noted that the audiences over the past five years have been relatively small in keeping with the latest poll results.
The poll results indicated that 16.5 per cent of those who paid attention considered the increase to the education budget most important, and only 3.4 per cent thought the improvement in crime fighting techniques was most important.
Minister of National Security Dr. Peter Phillips made his first ever contribution to the Budget Debate this year. The national security minister usually makes his contribution in the Sectoral Debate.
