BURNING ISSUES
TWIN ANXIETIES RUN DEEP
The strain of taxes and the economy weigh on business and national sentiment
High taxes remain the most pressing issue in business circles, topping the list of concerns for the 11th consecutive month. In December, 48 percent of polled executives cited high taxes as their primary concern, up two points from November (46%).
In the latest LMD-PEPPERCUBE Business Confidence Index (BCI) survey, inflation climbed to second spot among major concerns with more than a third (35%) of respondents identifying it as a major issue – that’s a four point increase from the month prior.
Workforce standards, which ranked second in November, slipped to third place: 34 percent cited it as a concern – down five percentage points compared to the preceding month.
According to the exclusive poll conducted in the first week of December, brain drain remains the fourth most pressing issue, cited by 32 percent of the sample population. And interest rates feature among the top five concerns – it was mentioned by nearly a quarter (24%) of respondents.
On a national scale, more than half (54%) of the survey participants still view the economy as the country’s foremost challenge, although this reflects a substantial 23 point decline from November.
Concerns about climate change however, have understandably surged dramatically to second place. Following the recent cyclone and resulting devastation, 51 percent view climate change as a major burden – from a mere one percent in the previous month.
Meanwhile, the cost of living fell to third place; it was cited by nearly half (48%) of the respondents, which reflects a two percentage point drop.
Brain drain maintains fourth place with 26 percent expressing worry while the education system occupies fifth place – it was mentioned by 19 percent of those surveyed.
