Gov't rejects Opposition’s $8.6b e-invoicing revenue claim
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Finance Minister Fayval Williams speaking during the closing of the 2026-2027 National Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 24, 2026. (Rudolph Brown)
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Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson making his contribution to the 2026-2027 National Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 12, 2026.
The Government has rejected a claim by the parliamentary Opposition that an electronic invoicing system could generate $8.6 billion in revenue in the upcoming fiscal year, which starts on April 1.
The assertion was made by Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson during his Budget Debate contribution last week, where he proposed e-invoicing as an alternative revenue source to support the $1.4 trillion budget for 2026-2027.
The Government has projected approximately $18 billion in new tax measures.
However, Finance Minister Fayval Williams, in closing the debate on Tuesday, said there are no e-invoicing revenues that can be “realistically” expected in the upcoming fiscal year “and might I add, in the next fiscal year.”
Williams argued there is no “magic bullet of e-invoicing gains”, noting that “every global expert knows take years to materialise”.
“This Government will not gamble with the future of our country,” she said.
She added that the administration will not rely on “the fantasy of major software upgrade happening overnight,” insisting that fiscal responsibility remains “the only credible path.”
- Livern Barrett
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