Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has long been a contentious issue in Saint Lucia, with local populations expressing concerns over its impact on displacement, environmental neglect, and unequal treatment of local versus foreign investors. Critics argue that foreign investors often receive prime land, extensive tax exemptions, and the ability to repatriate profits, while local industries and workers are left with minimal benefits. This has fueled skepticism about the ‘trickle-down’ economic model, where the promised benefits of development rarely reach the grassroots level.
OPINION: What cannabis legislation can teach us about foreign direct investment (Part 1)
