PM Skerrit addresses Dominica's Economic Resilience, Quarrying Concerns & VAT Relief in Year-End Press Conference

Dominica: Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit addressed the media and the citizens of Dominica during his year end press conference. He highlighted key regional and governance matters like economic resilience, development priorities, and measures to protect citizens from rising cost of living.

The press briefing took place on Monday, December 15, 2025, at 11:00 am in the State House Conference Center. It was attended by government officials, journalists and stakeholders to review major policy decisions and their impact on the people of Dominica.

Addressing quarrying operations at Deux Branches

PM Skerrit said that he is concerned about the recent public appeals for the quarrying operations at Deux Branches to be closed. He said that these requests do not avoid any practical options for securing construction material necessary for Dominica's International Airport Project.

During the end of the year press conference, Prime Minister Skerrit explained that the international airport is a strategic national investment to improve Dominica’s long-term economic stability and to enhance connection with the world. The project will also benefit sectors like tourism, agriculture, trade and small-scale businesses in Dominica.

The Prime Minister said that large-scale infrastructure projects require a great amount of construction material. The main issue is not that they will use aggregate but rather where that aggregate will come from. He said that import of millions of tons of aggregate would shift environmental damage to another developing country, which will also increase costs, cause delays, and reduce job opportunities for Dominicans.

“No responsible government can justify exporting the environmental burden to another nation while refusing to utilize resources available at home, especially for a project that is national in scope and designed to uplift our own people,” he said.

He said the government is committed to promoting responsible quarrying practices. Those measures include: ensuring the strict application of Physical Planning Act, using an environmental impact assessment, on-going monitoring, installing sediment control measures, immediate rehabilitation of affected areas, and revising environmental quality standards.

“To be clear, responsible, regulated extraction for a national development project is fundamentally different from reckless exploitation of the environment. The Government’s obligation is to strike a balance in which we protect Dominica’s natural heritage while building the infrastructure our country urgently needs,” noted PM Skerrit.

VAT and Customs Duty Relief for Families

The Prime Minister of Dominica also highlighted the success of the government in removing customs duties and Value Added Tax (VAT) on a wide range of basic food products. This policy was discussed during the 2025-2026 National Budget and is a step toward easing the cost of living.

He further added that this measure is being implemented for the protection of families, low income households and to ensure that no Dominican has to choose between food and other basic needs. 

“I am pleased to report that these reductions have, across the board, had a positive impact on the purchasing power of families and their overall ability to meet daily expenses,” said PM Roosevelt Skerrit.

To determine the effect of the removal of VAT and custom duty, the government did market research before and during the year of implementation. The first study was done before October 1, 2025, and the second at the end of the year on December 12, 2025.

J. Astaphan and Company Ltd.; H.H.V. Whitchurch Co. Ltd.; Green’s Supermarket; Fine Food; S-Mart; and ACS play key roles in setting retail prices island wide.

The analysis found price reductions in most of the products. In all 7 samples, luncheon meat (13.36%), corned beef (13.07%), breakfast cereal (12.3%), unsweetened biscuits (18.89%) orange juice (42.28%) toothpaste(27.98), tomato ketchup(24.3) had the most significant reduction.

According to Prime Minister Skerrit, these results reveal that their program is working by putting money back in the hands of people and also easing the financial burden on families. He said, “The exercise provides strong evidence that the policy intervention is working as intended, easing cost-of-living pressures and delivering tangible benefits to households across Dominica. This is what we mean by People First.”