In a parliamentary address Monday, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne pushed back against opposition questioning and publicly defended his administration’s multi-pronged strategy to counter rising cost-of-living pressures across the twin-island nation. Responding to an inquiry from Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle about the government’s policy response to ongoing economic strains, Browne opened by spotlighting one of the government’s biggest commitments: nearly $30 million in fuel subsidies disbursed over the past several months. Browne emphasized that stabilizing fuel prices is a foundational policy, because fluctuations at the pump ripple through every sector of the economy, driving up the prices of essential goods and services for all households. Beyond fuel support, the prime minister outlined a series of targeted tax relief measures designed to ease burdens on families. These include a tax-free shopping period held in August to coincide with the back-to-school season, as well as an earlier rollback of consumption taxes on fresh fruits and vegetables — a change that cuts costs for everyday grocery shopping for low and middle-income households. Browne also highlighted the government’s investments in expanding accessible education. The administration has eliminated fees for CXC secondary school examinations and abolished public university tuition, guaranteeing full publicly funded access to education from early childhood through the post-secondary level. To support the country’s most vulnerable populations, Browne pointed to expanded social assistance programming run through the Ministry of Social Transformation. The government has distributed food vouchers and direct financial support to at-risk households, while its housing assistance initiative has delivered fully built homes to some families and provided essential building materials — including lumber and galvanized roofing — to others looking to repair or upgrade their existing properties. In closing his remarks, Browne characterized his administration as one of the most benevolent governments in Antigua and Barbuda’s modern history, noting that the scope of these social interventions is particularly notable given the country’s constrained fiscal and natural resources. “When you look at the things that we have done and the things that we’ve achieved for this country, I think it’s remarkable,” Browne told parliament.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne defends government’s response to the cost of living
