Sloppiness at finance ministry

Maybe it is something in the water at the finance ministry.

Audley Shaw, formerly the finance minister, was prone to tabling budgets and adjusting them, either because his tax proposals were not properly thought out or this or that expenditure was overlooked.

Mr Shaw's successor, Dr Peter Phillips, may have acquired the same condition.

Less than a month ago, the new finance minister brought supplementary estimates to Parliament that nipped $21.6 billion, or four per cent, from the Budget for the fiscal year that closes in nine days. That, we assumed, was that, until he rushed in this week to put back $11.2 billion of what was cut because, it appears, sufficient homework was not done.

This kind of sloppiness from Dr Phillips and his technicians is not good for public confidence.

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