T&T New Govt:Sweeping cost-cutting reforms

Sweeping cost-cutting reforms
...PM to limit tax exemptions and house benefits for MPs, ministers

The Prime Minister is putting an end to unrestricted tax exemptions for vehicles purchased by Members of Parliament and ministers and State-funded housing for ministers.The Prime Minister also announced that she had instructed her ministers not to ask for State-funded housing. “Yuh want house, pay for house!” she said yesterday.“The country is not so large that you need to have a house in Port of Spain paid for by taxpayers,” she said.“You can drive,” the Prime Minister stressed.“There are people who don’t even have a house, you (ministers) want to have two—your own house and one in town. No. Some might be vex with me, but I will stick firmly to that (position),” she said.“If you want house in town, go and pay yuh own rent. You agree? Pay your rent. Why must the taxpayer pay your rent when they can’t even pay their own rent?...That should not continue to happen. We have to cut costs,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said she had also requested a listing of Government officials supplied with State-funded housing to see where the Government could cut some costs.“I am being told that there are Government officials from the last administration, some of them have up to three and four State-funded houses. Can you believe that?” she asked. “We will let you know in due course. But I am not here about name calling, I am here about policy and programmes that most people of the country can benefit from. Let us see where we can cut these costs.”“I plan to redirect most of those resources towards the fight against crime. So, many of these unnecessary security details will be cut out. I am told that some of these guys have armoured vehicles. I didn’t know we had a war in Trinidad and Tobago. I know we have a criminal war (against criminals).”She said there was an instance where the armoured vehicles had about six back-up security personnel.

Addressing a post-Cabinet news conference at the Red House, Port of Spain yesterday, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said she would put a cap on the tax-free facility parliamentarians have enjoyed for decades on the purchase of personal vehicles.The exemptions include motor vehicle tax, VAT and import duties, and this can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars when high-end vehicles, like Mercedes-Benz vehicles, are purchased by an MP.“If you want a Maybach (sub-brand of Mercedes)...buy it from your own money...Is taxpayers’ money you want to drive Maybach and what else? I have a little Prado so the cap might be around that,” the Prime Minister said.She said with the Point Fortin Highway, which her Government began and will complete, it would be a 45-minute drive from Point Fortin and Moruga

PM reveals true state of economy –– Trinidad and Tobago in $4.4b hole

PRIME MINISTER Kamla Persad-Bissessar says her government has inherited a $4.42 billion "hole" which needs to be filled in order to keep the country running. She pledged her government will find the money to do so.Speaking at the first post-cabinet press briefing at the Red House on May 8, Persad-Bissessar said her government had been examining the country's true financial state after being elected on April 28 and ministers and parliamentary secretaries were sworn in on May 3.She said the most important consideration was the country’s month-to-month cash flow which gives an estimated update of the government’s immediate status by month.

“In April 2025, total cash inflow was estimated at $3.95 billion, and total cash outflow was estimated at $5.28 billion. This left a cash deficit of $1.33 billion, which was met from the Central Bank's available overdraft cash balance. By the end of April, the available overdraft cash balance was $3.67 billion, of which $2.74 billion was carried forward to May 2025,” she revealed.She said there was an outstanding balance of unpaid cheques in the system valued $500 million, which was also carried forward to May.

The PM said cash inflows for May from various sources of government revenue are estimated at $2.38 billion, with an estimated cash outflow of $6.3 billion, resulting in a cash deficit position of $3.92 billion.
“Worse, if all the unpaid cheques in the system were presented for payment, this would add a further $500 million to the deficit for the month – a total deficit then of $4.42 billion for which the Ministry of Finance will need to find funding.“This is a delicate situation because it means the country was being run month to month, literally living on the overdraft at the Central Bank, which we will now have to max out to meet only part of the deficit in May.”She said she was told the expected deficit for 2025 would be approximately $11 billion.

Sarge, I like the movements I seeing here. Cut the freeness, expose the people who take advantage of taxpayers.

Like it starting well.

In reply to Halliwell



This needs to be adopted in Guyana and the rest of the world

In reply to sgtdjones

How come she didn 't specifically mention Growley had his adult children and their family living in de PM residence for years

In reply to Narper

I saw some of the pictures of the state of that PM residence and Whitehall...amazing. They were run as the last 10 years as T&T , now scrambling to stay above water.
15 billion just to service debt; when Rowley took the helm, today it is over 30 billion.
It's all in the central bank reports; I am reviewing these documents
He also borrowed from a line of credit at the central bank the sum of 27 billion.
She needs to borrow 1.5 billion monthly till a new budget. 11-plus billion deficit...

I will post what Growley and Al-Rawi noted about her .
She knows if she makes the PNM look bad , PNM till I die will say, Fix it." They wouldn't blame Rowley.
Maybe she has matured and decided not to respond.

Brit-Trini noted I had the (RDS) Rowley derangement syndrome...

I started today writing about some of the economic problems Rowley/Imbert left her; I may post it tomorrow.
It's not pretty.

In reply to googley



And when Musk started it he get cuss upside down.

In reply to Prako



If you can interpret what Musk did with "cutting out freeness," more power to you.

They should hire Elon Musk and send Vix into a vacuum rather than a echo chamber

In reply to googley

This poster is in Rowley's back pocket.
Notice when Trinis get a cutarse, they obfuscate .
This has nothing to do with Musk?