Antigua and Barbuda's prime minister told parliament the country pulled off a massive financial turnaround with a primary surplus hitting $254.9 million and an overall surplus of $116.3 million while presenting the 2026 budget. Gaston Browne said the government went from drowning in debt to actually having cash left over after covering expenses and interest payments.
The debt-to-GDP ratio dropped to around 61% from what was basically 120% when his administration started running things over a decade back. Browne credited tourism bouncing back hard, construction projects taking off, and better tax collection for the improved numbers.
The new budget focuses on education, healthcare, housing, and infrastructure spending backed by the healthier balance sheet, and lawmakers are supposed to start arguing about it next week.
The debt-to-GDP ratio dropped to around 61% from what was basically 120% when his administration started running things over a decade back. Browne credited tourism bouncing back hard, construction projects taking off, and better tax collection for the improved numbers.
The new budget focuses on education, healthcare, housing, and infrastructure spending backed by the healthier balance sheet, and lawmakers are supposed to start arguing about it next week.
