Caption: Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo
By Prior Beharry
MORE than 4,200 primary and secondary school students were suspended for possession or use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco between 2022 and 2025.
This was revealed by Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo on Friday, as he moved a motion in the House of Representatives to increase taxes on alcohol and tobacco announced in the Budget.
The motion confirmed the Excise Duty (Tobacco Products) (Amendment) Orders, the Excise Duty (Alcoholic Beverages) Orders, and the Customs (Import Duty) (CARICOM) (Amendment) Order, 2025. The measures double excise and CARICOM import duty rates on a wide range of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products.
Justifying the increases, Tancoo said, “The social cost of excessive drinking extends beyond the roadways.” He cited a 2010 University of the West Indies study on the prevalence of domestic violence, which found that drug and alcohol abuse were among the most prominent reasons cited for physical violence.
“Too often, police reports describe incidents of domestic abuse where alcohol was a contributing factor—mothers and children living in fear, households shattered by rage fuelled by addiction,” he said.
“Every dollar spent on these products contributes not only to the profit of their producers but to the pain of their victims,” the MP for Fyzabad said.
Tancoo also highlighted the use of alcohol and tobacco in schools.
“Even more distressing is that the influence of alcohol and tobacco is now seeping into our schools,” he said.
Tancoo said, “According to official suspension data from the Ministry of Education, between 2022 and 2025 there were over 4,200 cases of students suspended for possession or use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco in primary and secondary schools. These are children, some barely in their teens, already being exposed to substances that should have no place in their lives.”
“When the culture of alcohol consumption becomes so pervasive that it reaches our classrooms, it becomes clear that we are dealing not just with an economic issue, but a national crisis.”
He added, “The increased taxes and duties are therefore part of a broader effort to make these products less accessible, especially to our nation’s youth.
“This Government refuses to look away. We will not remain silent while preventable tragedies continue to unfold. That is why we have taken the principled decision to increase taxes and duties on alcohol and tobacco—products that destroy more lives than they enrich.”
“No responsible government can ignore the evidence before us. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has sounded the alarm,” Tancoo said.
He said, “The measure before this House is not about revenue. It is about responsibility—to protect life, to preserve families, and to promote a culture of accountability and care. That is what this Government stands for. And that is why, despite the Opposition’s short-sightedness, we will move forward with this policy, because the lives and well-being of our citizens must come first.”
