Much of the public welcomed the 2026-27 Bermuda Budget with cautious optimism after an ambitious rollout on Friday.

Many people admitted on Saturday that they had not read the Budget in full but had some idea of its contents, while others accepted the plan with hope, criticism or resignation.

An 83-year-old man, who asked not to be named, said the Budget “went in the right direction”, but “it needs to do more with debt reduction”.

He added: “There’s too much being wasted by being spent on the wrong things.

“There’s too much fat. Every time you turn around there’s another post in the Civil Service.

“It’s OK to reduce the debt, but we’ve got to know where we’re going as an island in terms of the economy and taking care of those who can’t help themselves.”

The man said he was happy to see plans to cut the $3.2 billion in national debt, such as the $605 million set aside to pay off a government bond due next January.

However, he added: “They should have done that years ago.”

The Budget included a reduction in payroll taxes for all workers and major investments in capital projects and social programmes such as housing, healthcare and education.

Other boosts included $156.4 million reserved for education, $87 million reserved for health and $5 million set aside to continue an “aggressive roadworks programme”.

However, one 61-year-old woman, who asked not to be named, said: “Despite what was promised in the Budget, one cannot adequately survive in Bermuda on a paycheque of full-time employment.

“So, for those of us who have retired, we’ll continue to suffocate.”

Sherice Bashir, 40, on the other hand, said she was confident that the right choices would be made for the island and that the national debt would ultimately be paid off.

Although she admitted to not having read the Budget fully, she added: “I hope that the ministers can make good on their promises and that it’s not just political speak.”

A 65-year-old woman, who asked not to be named, admitted that she had not gone though the Budget yet, but said: “I think it will be OK.”

She added: “It’s the Government — they just do what they do.

“We just have to go along with what’s been done.”

David Burt, who delivered his final Budget as Premier and Minister of Finance, said the drop in national debt would put Bermuda on track to increase capital spending to 2 per cent of GDP by the next fiscal year.

He said that current account expenditure, excluding debt service, was estimated at $1.25 billion, or 12.4 per cent more than the original estimate.

Total revenue for 2026-27 was estimated at $2.03 billion — the first time in history, according to the Premier, that government revenue was projected to exceed $2 billion.

A 72-year-old woman, who asked not to be named, said she felt comfortable with the tax cuts that had been promised to help her and others.

However, she recognised that she might not see results immediately.

The woman added: “I just want them to just do things right to help the people.

“I just hope that they do get everything sorted out that needs to get sort out for the Bermudian people.”