PR Government Urged To Cut Expenses

[Ecuajey]

Former OMB Director Urges Government To Cut Expenses

April 23, 2002
Copyright © 2002 WOW NEWS. All Rights Reserved.

Former Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Executive Director Jorge Aponte recommended Tuesday that the government refrain from increasing its expenses as a measure to face what he described as the "total incompetence" of current government officials to balance the budget.

The former official said examples of excessive expenses are unnecessary professional-services contracts, lobbyists contracts, celebrations such as the Commonwealth’s 50 anniversary, and the full-page, full-color government ads.

Seventeen months after the current administration came to power and after two fiscal year budgets have been presented before the Legislature, several measures are still being discussed to balance the government budget and get rid of the deficit.

The proposals, which have faced harsh criticism, include an increase in excise taxes on alcohol and cigarettes, as well as on 4x4 vehicles.

Gov. Sila Calderon said Tuesday that the approval of these measures would help end the deficit "forever."

"I have to ask myself, as a citizen, how government officials dare to lie to the people," said Aponte, referring to the "structural deficit" that Calderon alleges she inherited from the past administration. "The ‘structural deficit’ exists in the minds of these government officials who have shown themselves to be extremely incompetent in the administration of Puerto Rico’s government budget."

Aponte said in a radio interview that this is a strategy to blame the former government for bad administration and to hide the current government’s incompetence. He also said the Calderon administration has more resources than those available in previous years.

Aponte pointed out that taxes were lowered several times during the past administration, and the government did not confront problems to find the needed resources. He also pointed out that the budgets were balanced and presented on time.

The former official said the government proposals are "aimed at affecting the family" and warned that the public are going to be more cautious when buying necessary goods.

"The government is not going to achieve its goal; it is not going to find the resources, and if they can’t do it, they should resign," Aponte said.