NEW Shadow Finance Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin went straight on the attack last night, accusing Government of attempting to profiteer from taxpayers.

Describing her new role as "an awesome responsibility to be vigilante with respect to the Budget and the expenditure of public funds", the insurance company chief accountant also hinted that tax cuts could be on the cards under a United Bermuda Party Government.

And she blasted the Progressive Labour Party's economic record, saying that under its stewardship, the economy had become dependent on international business.

The Paget West MP said: "Government, in boasting of its very strong economy, has failed to acknowledge that they have in fact taxed the Bermudian people far in excess of what would have been required with effective, astute and austere budgeting.

"To overtax people in order to end up with a surplus shows a mindset that says they are in a profit-making operation. That is not the message that governments need to send. There are no shareholders for whom profit is the driving factor behind business operations.

"Governments fund their programmes from the taxpayer's purse, and they have an obligation to tax as little as possible to have funds necessary to provide those social programmes and capital developments that people should expect.

"But it is not my intent to simply criticise the Government. It will be my position to examine the opportunity costs of this Government's failure to act, and in so doing, highlight those areas that ought to be improved upon, and how a United Bermuda Party philosophy would apply a higher degree of prudence.

"As an example, the $50 million of additional expenditure at the Berkeley site, notwithstanding that we have ended up with a first-class facility, could have, with proper management, been used on so many other pressing social issues, like the provision of housing.

"With respect to tax cuts, a United Bermuda Party Government will in fact not bill the taxpayer in the first instance, and will adopt a higher degree of accountability.

"We will share information with the public and not treat their funds like they are our own personal funds to be disbursed secretively, but rather, endeavour to keep the public informed, by considering that the 'need-to-know' is ongoing, not selective.

"How can the economy be made stronger? Under the PLP, there has been a failure to develop any other pillar of the economy.

"Tourism continues to sag, new hotel deals have not come to fruition, and the propping up of the economy has become predominantly dependent on the international business sector.

"This policy needs to be examined in light of competition from other jurisdictions on international business, and the dilution of our market share both in tourism and international business.

"The upcoming Budget will give us the opportunity to examine closer some of the challenges, and to offer recommendations for a better, stronger Bermuda."