Published 23 November 2022
Basseterre
Buckie Got It St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Government of St Kitts and Nevis has approved 2018 IMF Report Public Release
BASSETERRE, ST KITTS AND NEVIS, NOVEMBER 22, 2022: In keeping with the principles of good
governance and transparency, the Government of St Kitts and Nevis has authorized the release of the
2018 Article IV International Monetary Fund (IMF) Report. The Executive Board of the IMF therefore
released the report on November 21, 2022, outlining the details of the Article IV consultation with St
Kitts and Nevis concluded on September 14, 2018.
The report indicated that the “Directors acknowledged significant challenges, including those
associated with declining Citizenship by Investment (CBI) inflows, financial sector vulnerabilities,
tighter global financial conditions, and weather-related shocks. Against this background, Directors
encouraged policies to safeguard macroeconomic and financial stability, together with reforms to
strengthen competitiveness and foster inclusive growth.”
It was noted that “absent any corrective policies, public debt is expected to increase over the medium
term, as revenue from CBI receipts further declines.”
According to the IMF, major fiscal adjustment was necessary to reverse the debt dynamics and
recommendations were offered to address the issues—
“The adjustment could focus on both revenue and expenditure measures, including
streamlining tax incentives, restructuring activities funded by the Sugar Industry
Diversification Foundation, and containing the wage bill through a multi-year framework.
Recognizing the need to maintain fiscal buffers to assist in covering the cost of natural
disasters, Directors recommended the establishment of a Growth and Resilience Fund (GRF),
which should be linked to a fiscal responsibility framework. They suggested that access to the
GRF could be used to respond to adverse shocks and to support natural disaster resilience
investment projects.”
In a recent interview on Freedom FM, the Prime Minister, Hon. Dr Terrance Drew, spoke to our
country’s dependency on the CBI programme and the need to chart a different course of action to
ensure that our Federation remains strong and viable. The 2018 Article IV IMF Report outlines exactly
how that level of dependency affected the economic stability of our nation—
“Growth decelerated marginally in 2017, as the continued decline in CBI inflows slowed
growth in construction. Consumer inflation was low, partly due to a small contraction in food
prices. The overall fiscal balance remained in surplus but has deteriorated markedly since its
2013-peak, and the debt-to-GDP ratio increased marginally from the previous year. The
current account deficit remains high and only marginally declined in 2017, as the decline in
CBI receipts was more than offset by growing tourism receipts and a significant decrease in
imports.
Foreign reserves at the ECCB remained at comfortable levels, well above the various reserve-
adequacy metrics. The banking sector has reported capital and liquidity ratios that are well
above the regulatory minimum but has elevated NPLs and risks, including delays in completing
the debt-land swap arrangement and loss of Corresponding Banking Relationships (CBRs).”
During his recent press conference held on November 15, 2022, the Prime Minister spoke of changes
that will be made to the Citizenship By Investment legislation and Unit’s operations to ensure the
nation maintains a progressive and sustainable programme whilst cementing our Federation’s place
as a leader in the industry. The Prime Minister said—
“Our government has been committed to working tirelessly to strengthen and improve our
CBI programme for enhanced sustainability within a framework of Integrity. While we have
always been the benchmark of the citizenship by investment value proposition, we
understand that in order to remain as one of the most sought-after economic citizenship
programmes in the world, we need to evolve. We are not making these important decisions
in isolation. We have been in discussion with all the relevant stakeholders in the sector. This
includes local developers and international investors. There will be much stronger oversight
and leadership in the CBI Unit. Our government is implementing strengthened legislative and
administrative structures to ensure that real estate projects funded by the CBI programme
are completed. To this end we are seeking trusted investors who see the potential of our
nation to put capital behind creative and strong projects that will enhance our offering.”
However, the Prime Minister also highlighted that an Economic Council has been formulated to assess
the financial status of our economy and chart the way forward. To date Economic Council has met
with representatives from the Ministry of Finance, National Bank, Social Security, Development Bank,
the Treasury, and Inland Revenue.
Under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members,
usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and
discusses with officials the country’s economic developments and policies. On return to headquarters,
the staff prepares a report which forms the basis for discussion by the Executive Board. At the
conclusion of the discussion, the Managing Director, as Chairman of the Board, summarizes the views
of Executive Directors, which is then communicated to the country’s authorities.
The details of the IMF report can be found here: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2018 Article IV
Consultation with St Kitts and Nevis (https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2022/11/21/pr22400-
imf-executive-board-concludes-2018-article-iv-consultation-with-st-kitts-and-nevis )
