Budget Law 2025-2026: Between Government Discourse and the Country's Realities

Port-au-Prince, September 30, 2025. — Meeting this Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at the Prime Minister's Office, the Council of Government, chaired by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, examined the draft budget law for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The official statement emphasizes adherence to 'National Priorities,' 'Good Governance,' and 'State Commitments regarding sustainable development and social justice.' Behind this institutional language, however, lies the question of budgetary credibility in a context of multifaceted crisis. For several years, Haiti has faced economic contraction and persistent inflation regularly exceeding 40%. According to the BRH, inflation reached a record 49.30% in January 2023; 47.2% in October 2022, and reached 31.1% in August 2025), and a decline in tax revenues, largely weakened by insecurity, the paralysis of productive sectors, and the informal economy. The reiterated promises of 'social justice' contrast with daily reality:

1. under-resourced public schools unable to ensure a decent school year start,
2. a health sector on the verge of collapse,
3. local communities without resources,
4. and a population impoverished by soaring prices.

The budget law, intended to translate state priorities into figures, is too often perceived as a technical exercise disconnected from social emergencies and popular reality. Several observers also highlight the delay in budget preparation, the lack of citizen consultation, and the almost chronic dependence on external support. While the government speaks of sustainable development, reality remains dominated by a survival economy, where public investments remain scarce and where the majority of expenditures serve to cover the operating costs of a heavily centralized state. The draft budget law 2025 – 2026 will soon be submitted to the competent authorities for adoption. But for many citizens, the real issue is not the form of the budget, but its ability to concretely address emergencies: security, education, employment, and basic social services. In summary, this Council of Government highlights the persistent gap between official discourse, laden with terms like 'national priorities' or 'social justice,' and a national reality marked by precariousness and disillusionment.