By Chantalé Fletcher
PENAL Debe Chamber of Commerce president Rampersad Sieuraj is questioning whether John Public understood the presentation of the 2021\2022 fiscal budget.
Speaking to AZPNews.com on Monday via telephone, Sieuraj said, “The Minister of Finance delivered a highly theoretical fiscal financial and economical presentation.
“However, persons on the street want to know about matters such as job creations, wealth, cost of living, revenue streams and transport which impacted their daily lives.”
He was responding to the 2022 Budget delivered by the Minister of Finance Colm Imbert in the Lower House on Monday.
Sieuraj said, “On an annual basis, the Minister of Finance goes to Parliament, after two to three hours followed by the Opposition Leader to critique it and hardly anything changes and six months after,an Appropriation Bill enters Parliament for more money.”
He also questioned the Government’s seriousness about agriculture and diversification given the allocation of $1.249 billion out of a $ 52.429 billion.
In addition, the agriculture sector employed a vast majority of the labour force yet there were questions as to incentivisation with regards to enlarging the sector, he said.
Sieuraj said, “There was a lack of land tenure which was not addressed and if there such a lack, then there would make no dent into agriculture and food production.”
He had hoped to hear about an agriculture cooperative to reduce cost which would also benefit the sector.
Sieuraj said the chamber asked for the refurbishment of the fishing port in Morne Diablo which remained neglected. “The road was only accessible to 4×4 vehicles and tractors likewise other rural agricultural access roads.”
He said the budget allocated $20 million to rural access road, “However, nothing was mentioned about Penal\Debe which was prime agricultural area.”
Sieuraj applauded the minister on the digitalisation and transformation of the education system which was necessary moving forward.
“For too long, this country has been producing doctors, lawyers and people who have not been able to fit in the market, but digitalisation and digital transformation would benefit the nation at large.”
He said the country was short on skilled labour, yet there was no mention of engaging these persons on the non-academia side of education.
Sieuraj said there was no mention of Penal\Debe or rural T&T among the 20 communities in the universal connectivity, and the light manufacturing and food processing industry which the chamber had requested in 2020.
He said, “Property Tax was a welcome measure by the people in Penal\Debe however it was needed to be addressed in an equitable manner to allow people the comfort to pay persons the tax without the astronomical cost associated with the valuations.”
Sieuraj said the chamber welcomed the relaxation of some taxation for SME companies in the budget, as well as the job opportunities from the Inland Revenue Board and the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority (TTRA).
