NEWS
Princes Town resident without water for 60 days
Razeek Mohammed of No 7 Hilltop Dive St Croix Road, Princes Town, says he has not had water for approximately 60 days. For his own comfort, he said, he installed running water to his home, but now he has to resort to using buckets, kegs and other plastic containers to store this precious commodity to satisfy his daily needs. What is even worse, Mohammed said, is that he suffers with a disability which causes him to blackout without any warning. His wife, who also suffered a stroke, is unable to assist him in filling or lifting the containers. “I have pipelines running to my home for more than 36 years, but I am having real water problems. It’s approximately 60 days since I have not received water in my tap, yet I keep getting bills from WASA (Water and Sewerage Authority). Read more here
Economist predicts big $ for Works and Transport to generate employment in Budget
Within a matter of hours, Finance Minister Colm Imbert will present his 2024 fiscal package in Parliament. In the Finance Minister’s bag of goodies, there is much expectation that ordinary citizens will get some relief in their pockets, with the hope that the minimum wage may be increased. The current minimum wage stands at $17.50. Addressing what Imbert could deliver to bring relief, economist Dr Indera Sagewan told Guardian Media given the fact that T&T is one year away from a general election and noting the outcome of the Local Government Elections in August, there could be a significant allocation to the Ministry of Works and Transport to generate much-needed employment. “Road works tend to be a strong ‘sweetener’ in the sense that it generates jobs at the lower-income level...Even though previous budgets have identified a lot of road projects, we will actually see that happening in this fiscal year,” Sagewan said. Read more here
POLITICS
Can budget be tough on crime?
Can initiatives in the 2023/2024 national budget help to reduce crime, mulled several business organisations ahead of Monday's presentation by Finance Minister Colm Imbert. The hopes come after a week where the country has been stunned by the assassination of a 13-year-old rape victim due to testify against her assailant and by the murder of four children at home in the Heights of Guanapo, Arima. The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce recently called for donations to the police service and Crime Stoppers to boost the fight against crime. In its budget recommendations on its website, the chamber proposed hefty tax breaks for donations from individuals and organisations to the police and Crime Stoppers for operational and infrastructural support. It proposed "a tax deduction of 100 per cent for donations up to $1,000,000 for a defined period." Read more here
Union bosses: Take care of society’s vulnerable in Budget
On the eve of this country’s Budget presentation for fiscal 2024 on Monday, secretary-general of the National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) Michael Annisette and general secretary of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) Ozzi Warwick have urged the Government to do their best to ease the financial strain on middle- and lower-income families by raising the minimum wage. This as Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday kept the issue of whether the minimum wage will be addressed in today’s Budget close to his chest, as media reports speculated there could be an increase from $17.50 to $19.50 per hour among the main features of today’s fiscal package. In September, during a post-Cabinet media briefing, Rowley confirmed that while the minimum wage was being considered for adjustment, there were concerns that such a decision could result in increasing inflation in other areas. But Annisette and Warwick on Sunday again urged the Government to make the call on increasing the minimum wage. Read more here
BUSINESS
Education key to progress
Surveillance and security equipment has become a major expense for business people and homeowners and the president of the Couva/Point Lisas Chamber of Commerce Mukesh Ramsingh has made a call for a tax rebate on these items, which will in the long run see more secure communities. Speaking to the Express yesterday about the Chamber’s budget 2024 wish list, ahead of Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s presentation today, Ramsingh said that he hoped that national security was given the highest priority. Ramsingh also said that a tax rebate for business people and private citizens who spend large amounts of money to protect their properties ought to be on the cards. Read more here
REGIONAL
Businessman challenges APNU+AFC delegation’s discrimination claims
Businessman Anand Sanasie has come forward to challenge the credibility of discrimination claims made by the APNU+AFC delegation during their visit to Washington DC, last month. Sanasie, in a letter to this newspaper revealed a complex web of financial dealings and allegations of misappropriation involving fellow businessman Dorwain Bess. The letter stems from an article published by APNU-aligned Village Voice News outlet under the headline, “Washington Conference Hears of Discrimination in Guyana, Businessman Dorian Bess story highlighted.” In his letter, Sanasie sheds light on his involvement with Bess, beginning in 2014, when Roysdale Forde, S.C., introduced them to a business venture related to the importation of diesel fuel. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Ukraine war: Russia warned EU not weary over war support
Russia has been warned not to count on "weariness" in Europe over support for Ukraine, as European Union (EU) foreign ministers meet in Kyiv. It is the first time the assembly has been held outside the bloc. Ukraine is not an EU member but wants to join. The meeting comes a day after further military funding for Ukraine was left out of a last-minute US budget deal. EU policy chief Josep Borrell has described the ongoing war in Ukraine as an "existential crisis". "Maybe it's not being seen like this for everybody around the world, but for us, Europeans, allow me to repeat it: it's an existential threat," Mr Borrell told the gathering on Monday. Read more here
2nd October 2023