Senators last night passed the 2026-27 Budget last night without objection.

The passage of the Appropriations Act 2026, which contains the estimates of revenue and expenditure for 2026-27, ends weeks of debate in both the Upper and Lower House on how the Government will allocate its finances.

The debate concluded with a four-hour presentation on the Ministry of Health delivered in the Senate by Lauren Bell, Junior Minister for Health, which left no time for questions.

John Wight, vice-president of the Senate and an independent senator, commented that the lack of time for a debate was not fitting for a Budget debate.

He said: “I think we do a disservice to the listening audience and the budget process when we allocate four hours for an important ministry and there is no time allocated for any kind of debate, no questions.”

The Budget featured a record $2.03 billion in revenue for the coming year, bolstered by an estimated $753 million in corporate income tax revenue, which would be used to fund debt reduction, capital spending and tax cuts for businesses and individuals.

David Burt, the Premier and Minister of Finance, said in his Budget Statement that the revenue and spending blueprint would help to bring down the high cost of living for Bermudians with a reduction in payroll taxes for all workers, as well as major investments in capital projects and social programmes.