Pricing transparency measures designed to help drive down the cost of living will be a priority for the Government in its first 100 days of power.

David Burt said during an interview with The Royal Gazette that while he still must consult with his Cabinet on the various policies set out in the party platform and consider the requirements of the technical officers, certain goals remained in sight.

The Premier would also like to see the Landlord and Tenant Act finalised and said the Throne Speech and legislative agenda centred on promoting a “fairer, more stable, more affordable” Bermuda, with further tax cuts promised in the May 2 Budget

Among the priorities for the newly formed government, Mr Burt said, were “matters related to cost transparency regarding essential goods”.

He said: “I think that the Cost of Living Commission can do more to ensure that the duty reductions are passed on to consumers. That is important.

“When we talk about essential goods, it makes no difference for the Government to cut taxes when customers do not see the benefit of those tax reductions.

“There is a discussion about pricing transparency and supermarkets reporting prices … Barbados has implemented the exact same thing, they have an online digital app where all the major supermarkets have to report on their prices. I believe that will be launched locally in the first half of this year.”

Alexa Lightbourne, the former Chief of Staff to the Premier, who won her first seat in the House of Assembly in the election and was appointed as the Minister of Home Affairs, will lead the charge on the measures.

After the 2017 election victory, the PLP pledged to give the Cost of Living Commission increased powers but Mr Burt said more could and should be done.

“I believe that those powers have not been fully utilised,” he said.

“I know the minister feels that way because she has worked with me and the previous Cost of Living Commission when she was working in this office around those matters. She is well familiar with them.

“Energy is particularly important … and charges that Belco can pass on to the consumer and cannot pass on to the consumer.”

In May 2023, Regulatory Authority consultants said during a civil court case that charging customers for capital costs that Belco incurred when retrofitting the North Power Station to address its pollution issues would be “imprudent”.

Belco had appealed the RA’s rejection of its recommendation for a 16 per cent increase in the base rate but all eight grounds presented by the utility were dismissed.

Mr Burt said: “What you will also see in the first 100 days is a new Budget. There will be the tax cuts that we had pledged during the Pre-Budget Report and during the election campaign.”

The report predicted a raft of tax breaks worth $45 million.

Mr Burt reminded the public of the PLP’s record on efforts to address the high cost of living including duty and tax reductions, keeping seniors’ pensions in line with inflation and supporting parents with childcare assistance.

Mr Burt continued: "It is about continuing on that work to ensure that people see lower prices.

“We know that we are going to be supporting food co-operatives, we are talking about what will take place at Heron Bay [Primary School]. It is vital.

“Someone asked me, do you believe that if the Government were to assist in setting something up that will be providing essential goods and other supermarkets lower their prices to match, that would represent a failure? I said no, that is the objective.

“If government has to get involved to make sure that we can support enterprises that can do that, the reality is the only thing that voters and residents want to see is lower prices and we know that is what our members have committed to us.

“I have complete confidence in Minister Lightbourne’s ability to deliver.”