No government anywhere is capable of preparing a budget that gives their people everything they want because resources are scarce and Government has to prioritise based on the need.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said this while contributing to the 2023-2024 National Budget debate yesterday.

“This budget is meant to help us out of the crises we knew we would have to contend with when we won the election,” he said.

“It is caused by unsustainable debt levels and the shocking deterioration of much of our infrastructure in particular our health facilities.

“These are just some of the grim realities the budget is designed to deal with.”

He said the budget had been designed to immediately help as many of the poor and needy as possible and give relief to students burdened with TELS debt.

“It is also intended to improve education and boost investor confidence.

“In my ‘State of the Nation’ address on the eve of the budget announcement (Wednesday, June 28), I reiterated that it is critical that we must all come together to address common challenges in rebuilding our nation.

“There is no doubt, that we have to make some hard decisions that will not be pleasant to some of our people. These decisions are deemed necessary for the common good of our citizens to take our country forward.”