the people.

Finance Minister Grant Gibbons said it was intended to shore up the second pillar of the economy -- tourism.

And international business, subject to increases in company fees of up to six per cent but -- like domestic employers -- spared payroll tax hikes, backed the Budget as right for the times.

But some of the people at least have yet to be convinced there is much for them in Finance Minister Grant Gibbon's last Budget before this year's General Election.

Shadow Finance Minister Eugene Cox said: "Certainly, the hotel industry is in decline and I wanted to see much more done about that.'' And he added: "The statement of investment in human capital is what we have been saying all the time.'' Mr. Cox said: "I just hope that people will take that for what it's worth -- it's all right putting it down on paper but, as Dr. Gibbons said, there have been in power for 30 years and they haven't done that in the past.'' And he claimed: "I don't think it's real. I think it's designed to catch the unthinking person and catch their vote.'' Mr. Cox admitted that international business was "strong, healthy and growing.'' But he added that the jobs created for Bermudians in that sector were for highly-trained professionals and technocrats.

And he said: "The labour-intensive jobs are in tourism and a giant step should have been made in training them for the hotels and working instead of sitting on the walls and not working.'' And he called for "a bold step'' to rejuvenate tourism, rather than a series of small ones.

Mr. Cox claimed: "When you let everything else deteriorate, when you create jobs in international business, they aren't taking the kind of interest in Bermudian people they should take.'' FOCUS ON BUDGET '98: BIBA chief: `Clearly an election budget' Bermuda International Business Association chairman Glenn Titterton said: "It was a very fair Budget -- clearly an election Budget. But having said that, the economy is very strong at the moment and the Budget reflects that.

"There didn't appear to be any need for new taxation.'' Mr. Titterton said the international business community was now focussed on the major tax review being carried out by experts.

But he said: "At the end of the day, the key is the burden should be shared in an equitable way among all sectors of the community.'' He added he welcomed a $0.5 million boost for BIBA international marketing efforts -- although he said it was not as much as asked for.

But Mr. Titterton said: "There is nothing to be particularly concerned about in this Budget. It focussed on the two segments of Bermuda's economy and recognised the difficulties facing tourism and makes some provision for a boost in terms of capital expenditure.'' Bermuda Industrial Union boss and would-be Progressive Labour MP Derrick Burgess said: "There is nothing there for the working man. This is a party talking about family values when all they have done is a few small things here and there.'' And he warned: "If the money isn't filtered down, you're going to get the problems we have got. A lot of the guys who sit on the wall used to get jobs as busboys and a lot of them worked their way to be waiters and even captains and maitre d's.

"But that doesn't happen now -- and if people aren't working, the Country's unstable.'' Lantana Colony Club boss Paul Leseur said the further tax breaks for hotel reconstruction and modernisation were a welcome move.

But he added: "They haven't really tackled the basic issues which are the thinks which are not keeping us competitive.'' He said the high costs of fuel and electricity, duty amounting to more than one-third of the price of alcoholic drinks and the hotel occupancy tax were something Dr. Gibbons could have done more about.

And he added the high cost of tourist transport on the Island was a major factor -- which could have been helped by a fuel or equipment tax rebate for cabbies.

Mr. Leseur said: "It's a bit of a disappointment because I thought it was going to assist hotels, retail and the tourism sector a little bit more.'' And mother-of-two Susan Simmons said better maternity packages and flexible working hours for women who wanted to work after having children should be a priority.

She added that cheaper housing for young families should also have been a bigger Budget issue.

And she called for Government to sell off the housing at the old Base lands -- which have been dismissed by Government as sub-standard -- to young families at a cut-rate which would allow them to remodel the homes themselves.

Outspoken retailer John Casling, who owns the Smugglers Reef/Bananas chain, said Bermuda spent more on tourism advertising than the entire continent of Australia -- but with little return.

And he said a better use of the money would be to turn over a proportion to assist hotels like the Palm Reef in Paget, which had to close because the owners could not afford a hi-tech fire alarm system, with interest-free loans.

Mr. Casling added that gambling -- which contributed to the popularity of rival destinations -- should now be considered in Bermuda.

He said that the real problem with Bermuda was not cost -- but that it was "boring.'' And he insisted -- despite claims that the retail industry was doing all right -- that there were severe problems in his sector.

Mr. Casling said: "We are numbers-driven just like the hotels -- there's nothing on the horizon to suggest things will get any better.'' He conceded that a major review of Bermuda's tax structure was underway and the results of that had yet to be seen.

But he said that one of the main problems for retailers was still paying duty up front on goods brought in.

And Mr. Burgess added that a construction boom gave a false impression of long-term economic health.

He said: "Construction goes in cycles -- you have a couple of good years and then a slump.''