Dear Sir,

Comments by the economist Peter Everson (Royal Gazette, July 24) stating that the only hope for reducing debt and its resultant interest payments is increasing Bermuda’s population is way off the mark.

Most problems in today’s world are caused by ever-increasing governmental entitlements, government-funded social programmes, lowered productivity, higher unemployment and increased national debt.

If Mr Everson believes that we must grow the economy by 5 per cent annually, Bermuda needs to do this with what we currently have available to work with, not by adding more population and its resulting costly entitlements.

Bermuda tourism was always a vital economic driver up until this millennium. With all parties of Government since 2001 basically ignoring any significant promotion of tourism, tourism revenues have decreased significantly.

Local service and support groups to tourism have suffered, adding to the economic recession.

International visitors to Bermuda used to be a 12-month occurrence; now Bermuda is nearly “closed for business” during the first quarter.

Bermuda is already nearly “bursting at the seams”; we need to use common sense and practicality to improve the economy.

Just adding more “taxpayers” and the resulting increase in “tax users” is not the answer.

JACK MARCHANT