These assumptions should be seen as what they are - an attempt to base government planning on BIS Review 53/1997  -4-  prudent, conservative assumptions rather than wishful thinking - not as iron-clad limits to growth or short-term “targets”.
There are a number of reasons why it does not make sense to specify a particular number as the “speed limit” for the coming year. Among those reasons are the following:  (a)  Even if we have a clear idea of a long-term average rate of growth, an economy can clearly grow faster than that when it is taking up excess capacity.