On Thursday, April 29th, members of the Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture turned out in large numbers for an impactful knowledge-sharing event held at Harbor Club.

Titled “Budget Breakdown: What It Means for Business; Demystifying the Numbers. Defining the Impact,” the session provided a detailed review of the 2026/2027 Budget presentation delivered by Honourable Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Philip J. Pierre, on April 21st, 2026.

Chamber Executive Director, Brian Louisy, served as host and moderator for a high-level panel discussion featuring three distinguished presenters: Andrea St. Rose, President of the St. Lucia Institute of Chartered Accountants; Rishi Ramkissoon, Senior Partner at Ernst & Young; and Tommy Descartes, Senator and former Chief Economist in the Ministry of Economic Development and Economist at the Caribbean Development Bank.

Each presenter offered nuanced perspectives on the Budget, with a general consensus emerging that it represents a “stabilization plus growth” framework.

In summarizing the panel’s analysis, Mr. Louisy noted that the Budget seeks to protect households and businesses in the short term while laying the foundation for economic diversification and productivity gains. He identified its strongest features as a focus on infrastructure development, energy transition, digital government (including ease of doing business), housing, and improved fiscal discipline.

Click here to read more: https://www.stluciachamber.org/resources/chamber-hosts-successful-budget-breakdown-event-with-strong-private-sector-participation

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