The National Assembly of People's Power approved on Wednesday the liquidation of the State Budget for 2025, after hearing a report from the Minister of Finance and Prices, Vladimir Regueiro Ale, who announced progress in fiscal discipline and the maintenance of social programs.
The reaction of Cubans on social media was almost unanimously one of rejection: “There is no noticeable attention to social issues, at least in Camagüey,” summarized a comment that encapsulated the general sentiment.
According to the report presented to Parliament, the fiscal deficit at the end of 2025 reached 67,642 million pesos, a figure that is 20,897 million less than initially projected and equivalent to 5.4% of the Gross Domestic Product.
The official stated that gross revenues reached 463,461 million pesos and that 64% of total spending —518,543 million pesos— was allocated to Public Health, Education, Assistance, and Social Security.
The regime also stated that Public Health received more than 75 billion pesos, that over 103 million consultations were handled in primary care, and that Social Security executed 60.691 billion pesos, including a partial increase in pensions that benefited 1.593 million retirees.
But the gap between those figures and the everyday life of Cubans was revealed in the comments on the post by the official media Cubadebate on Facebook.
"One has to be an idiot to believe that report! A country that has no water, energy, food, or medicine," wrote a user.
Another person directly questioned the minister: "The fiscal deficit has been reduced? But does this guy think that in Cuba we are all abnormal?"
A third comment highlighted the wage inequality that the official report reveals: "According to the minister, the average salary of a worker at the electric company is 20,000 pesos. Now, with this increase, a surgical doctor reaches 8,000; add in on-call hours, and it might reach 10,000. The same thing happens with teachers and professors."
"It is false that the circuits are being rotated. They should come to Santa Clara to see the shamelessness: circuits 2 and 6, among others, have been without power at night for months," he added.
The question that resonated most among the comments was a simple one: "Mention a problem you have been able to solve. Just one, I’m not asking for more than that."
Skepticism is supported by independent data. The Cuban economy shrank by about 5% in 2025, accumulating a decline of over 15% since 2020, according to the Island's Economics Studies Center.
In 2025, several provinces experienced power outages of up to 20 hours a day, with a generation deficit exceeding 2,000 megawatts, a reality that contrasts with the investment data in basic services presented to Parliament.
"Why don't all of them step out of their bubble and spend 15 days living under the same conditions as most of the people? Let's see how it feels," concluded another Cuban, summarizing the gap that no official report seems able to bridge.
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