For years, the One Bermuda Alliance preached their version of “shared sacrifice”.

They told Bermudians to accept cuts to services, freezes, furloughs, and fewer opportunities, all in their version of “fiscal responsibility.”

Now, as Bermuda introduces a Corporate Income Tax that will generate unprecedented new revenue, we are hearing the same familiar tune. The language has softened with some of their voices but the philosophy has not changed with some of their loudest voices.

On the one hand they are saying “spend money on this” and on the other hand they are again urging us to do less for ordinary Bermudians and to limit the direct benefits that our people can feel in their daily lives.

The Progressive Labour Party believes that debt reduction is important. That is why we’ve committed the bulk of this new revenue to accelerate paying it down. We also believe that responsibility isn’t just about spreadsheets, it is about people and whether the benefits of economic growth ever reach those who need them most.

The OBA seems to say that they support “some” social spending but their history teaches us to look not just at what they sometimes say, but at priorities.

When the OBA spent more than $100 million on the America’s Cup, there were no calls for restraint from their camp. No warnings about living beyond our means. No concern about whether that spending reflected the urgent needs of Bermudian families. No concern about if the benefits would be seen by more than a privileged few.

When they signed deals at the airport and Morgan’s Point, costing Bermudians millions, there was no talk of caution. No insistence on balance.

Yet when it comes to housing, affordable healthcare, youth opportunities, and cost-of-living relief, suddenly the brakes are applied. Suddenly there is preaching of not spending too much on our people.

That is the contradiction Bermudians recognise.

This is not a debate about whether the PLP is fiscally responsible. We are proving that by paying down debt. This is a debate about whether fiscal responsibility can exist alongside social responsibility. We believe it must; their record is more erratic.

The Corporate Income Tax should mean more than debt reduction alone. It should also mean hope for the many and not just the few. Hope for young people who need opportunities. For families who need affordable housing. For seniors who deserve dignity. For Bermudians that want lower prices, safer streets and better opportunities in our own country.

When OBA supporters speak about a “bloated civil service”, many hear something else: that Bermudian jobs are expendable, that community investment is wasteful and that those struggling must simply accept less.

We reject that.

That is why we shifted the tax burden away from those least able to pay.

That is why we introduced Bermuda’s first minimum wage.

Not because business voices do not matter but because for too long they mattered more than everyone else.

So the question before us is simple:

Do we accept an approach that asks those who are already struggling to wait longer, hope harder and expect less?

Or do we choose a balanced path, one that reduces debt and invests in people?

We choose people.

∙ Jamahl Simmons is Progressive Labour Party MP for Sandys South