In my view, public-private partnerships on capital projects are an accounting trick for governments to take on more debt without it showing up that way in the financial records. I expect that this ends up costing more than traditional financing in most instances and I would rather open and transparent bookkeeping processes be employed. If, somehow, the private aspect of the partnership was in fact a more cost effective way to develop capital projects then I would be open to that. The key principle here is both short-term and long-term sustainability.
October 6, 2021
locke.spencer@gmail.com