“ SORRY SPENCER W. BUT YOU NEED FURTHER LEARNING ABOUT GDP, the main economic measurement of a country's economic output...You cannot "move money around" in economics as you wish...if you're an economist, that's a funny way (dishonesty and ignorant)) of explaining economic statistics. You sound more like the PM and his side-kick explaining away financial facts as "fananga" to GPS students, and expect the public to believe it.
Moreover, you're denying economics forces that drive the economy as if you're talking with your half-baked educated buddies in a faikava. Remittances are not "welfare" funds which shows your ignorance about the GDP and economics in general.
I have a feeling you're still in the Dark Ages when small amounts of Remittance were considered "consumption" only in the GDP formula (GDP= Consumption + Investment + Government spending + (eXport - iMport). Please do some research with economists to see where the Remittance 39% GDP proceeds come from in the Tongan economy...comared to less than 15% from agriculture and fishing. Where do the funds come from to fund increasing constructions of homes, home remodeling, pay for school children's education, start a business, buying motor vehicles, fund church constructions, fund school constructions, and peoples' increasing bank savings (Investments) come from?
You should see that Tonga's economy is moving away from the back-breaking subsistence-fishing farming to a financial economy supported by Remittances. ”