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PIOJ Growth-Inducement Strategy - Planning Institute of Jamaica

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consolidation confirms this pro-cyclical tendency, which is further aggravated by the<br />

nature <strong>of</strong> the political cycle.<br />

There are current signs that these risks are real, for example, in the underperformance <strong>of</strong><br />

certain categories <strong>of</strong> fiscal revenues (April – December 2010), in particular, PAYE and<br />

GCT (local) tax collections.<br />

6.0 Policies to Address the Risks to Economic <strong>Growth</strong><br />

The need to reduce the economy-wide risks to the sustainability <strong>of</strong> the current fiscal<br />

consolidation strategy and to achieving a higher growth target, therefore, compels an<br />

urgent re-consideration <strong>of</strong> the medium-term macroeconomic policy agenda to focus on<br />

initiatives that achieve the following objectives:<br />

• provide a stimulus to aggregate demand, in the short-term<br />

• enhance the resilience <strong>of</strong> the economy to shocks<br />

• reduce or remove, over the medium-term, critical structural constraints to longterm<br />

growth<br />

• improve the social inclusiveness <strong>of</strong> economic policies, which would include<br />

arresting and reversing the upward trend in poverty and addressing urban-rural<br />

imbalances.<br />

Table 5.13. Selected Natural Disasters & Their Estimated Economic Impact<br />

Event Year Intensity Cost<br />

($J Billion)<br />

Impact<br />

(% GDP)<br />

Hurricane Michelle 2001 Category 4 2.52 0.80<br />

May/June Flood Rains 2002 - 2.47 0.20<br />

Hurricane Charley 2004 Category 4 0.44 0.02<br />

Hurricane Ivan 2004 Category 3 36.90 8.00<br />

Hurricanes Dennis & Emily 2005 Category 4 5. 98 1.20<br />

Hurricane Wilma 2005 Category 5 3.60 0.70<br />

Hurricane Dean 2007 Category 4 23.80 3.40<br />

Tropical Storm Gustav 2008 - 15.24 2.00<br />

Tropical Storm Nicole 2010 - 20.50p 1.90<br />

Total 113.77<br />

p = preliminary<br />

Source: Compiled by <strong>PIOJ</strong><br />

Of special note regarding the fragility <strong>of</strong> our growth projections, Table 5.13 highlights<br />

that during the last decade, <strong>Jamaica</strong> has suffered from several natural disasters, with<br />

Hurricane Ivan being the most significant. Combined, these disasters have cost the<br />

country approximately $114 billion or approximately 2.1 per cent <strong>of</strong> GDP annually<br />

(compare this to the optimistic baseline forecast <strong>of</strong> 2.1% real GDP growth for FY<br />

79

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