2019/20 Budget Communication Final Budget Communication | Page 11

position to see and evaluate how their hard-earned dollars are being collected and spent. They are
also better able to assess how well the Government is managing the fiscal affairs of the nation in
relation to the fiscal objectives set out in the Annual Budget. These reports have been extremely
well received by Bahamian citizens—including the members of Her Majesty’s loyal opposition.
The Opposition spokesman on Finance has offered on the record comments on every single one.
We on this side appreciate that they are unknowingly congratulating the government
on these reports by their enthusiastic embrace of this level of openness. It apparently never crossed
their minds to undertake such an initiative when they had an opportunity to, just two short years
ago. We are happy that they are happy—as are all Bahamians—for this new era of openness and
accountability.
We have taken our reporting measures a step further by creating a number of new
avenues for communication between the Government and the general public, particularly as it
relates to the Annual Budget. This year, we will be launching an official website catered to the
Annual Budget that is intended to translate this policy document into simplified, non-technical
language, using visual tools to make the information more relatable to the average Bahamian.
Importantly, we should remember, transparency is not only about providing information, it is also
about making that information easy to understand and therefore accessible. The website will be a
new tool available to all successive governments, further institutionalizing the framework for
transparency.
The Budget website will house all of the official budget documents, as well as the in-
year reports on fiscal performance. For the official launch, the budgets for both fiscal years
2018/19 and 2019/20 will be published, along with a budget guide that simplifies common budget
terms and concepts in a reader-friendly manner. The website will be launched officially on June
5 th , at the start of the Budget Debate, and the Budget Guide will be available on July 1 st . We will
continue to introduce new ways to engage the public in dialogue and increase awareness and
understanding about the country’s fiscal affairs.
Moreover, we have endeavored to increase our pursuit of transparency not only in
increasing the number of reports and the way we share information, but also in ensuring our reports
are accurate, and fair. In this light, we have allocated approximately $3.2 million for the
Department of the Auditor General this year, which represents an increase of nearly $0.5 million
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