PM Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller says her Administration accepts responsibility for the tough decisions that had to be made in regards to the Extended Fund Facility of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), pointing out the adjustments were unavoidable, and necessary.

"The present agreement, like most IMF Agreements, focuses on improvement in our fiscal situation, as it was impossible for any government to continue running the level of deficits which had been accumulated in recent years". Addressing the Jamaica Stock Exchange Investments and Capital Markets Conference at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Tuesday, (January 21), the Prime Minister said, "There was no fundamental disagreement between the government and the external financial entities, led by the IMF, in terms of the eventual objectives to be attained."

Though these objectives have led to unavoidable adjustments, the Prime Minister said her Administration was committed to ensuring that the most vulnerable groups in the country would be given the highest possible protection and a "clear basis for hope of the future".

"We take full responsibility for the policy actions which are contained in the Extended Fund Facility and we fully believe that in the long term, true benefits will accrue to the society", Prime Minister Simpson Miller said.

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