NEWS
Owners hit 400% rise in gaming tax, warn: Bars face closure
The TT Coalition of Bars and Restaurants (TTCOBAR) and the Barkeepers Owners/Operators Association of TT (BOATT) are urging bar owners to contact their MPs, especially those in government, over a proposed Amusement Gaming Tax increase which, if implemented, could devastate the country’s liming sector. Both associations have described the proposed 400 per cent increase in the tax on gaming machines as a “second pandemic,” and one that is potentially more damaging to small and medium-sized bars than when covid hit the country. The government has proposed raising the Amusement Gaming Tax from $6,000 to $25,000 per machine per year, representing an increase of more than 400 per cent. Read more here
POLITICS
Dennis: Chief Sec had prior knowledge of radar setup
Leader of the Tobago Council of the People’s National Movement (PNM), Ancil Dennis, has accused Chief Secretary Farley Augustine of knowing about the military radar installed in Tobago before it was made public. In an interview following a community conversation event at Barcode in Scarborough yesterday, Dennis said: “It’s a joke for them, the fact that a military radar has been established in Tobago behind our backs without any consultation with the people of Tobago, without any consultation with the Chief Secretary according to him, and I’m saying according to him because my information tells me that he did in fact know about the radar being installed before it was installed, but stay tuned for that. “But to them it’s a joke, so placing the lives and the livelihoods of the people of Tobago in grave danger due to irresponsible actions on the part of this current Government is a joke for Certica (Williams) or Farley Augustine and other members of the TPP. Well, I want to say to the people of Tobago that just as how they believe that this installation of the radar is a joke, then we should consider anything that they say on the platform, including voting for them for our next four years, as a big joke and we should simply laugh in their faces, cyar, cyar, cyar, cyar (sic).” Read more here
BUSINESS
Angostura wins 20 international awards
ADDING to its long list of accolades, Angostura has received 20 awards from the World Spirits Award 2025, International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), the Spirits Business Rum and Cachaça and Liqueur Masters 2025. The brand’s premium rum ranges received seven medals at the World Spirits Awards held in Germany, with Founders Reserve 1824, Tamboo Spiced rum, and Grand Reserve 1919 receiving gold among others. Angostura also received the classification of world-class distillery after an assessment of 13 distilleries. Read more here
REGIONAL
Economic infrastructure, long-term objectives key priorities for Budgdet 2026
“So, you will see in our fiscal priorities a very significant reorientation of the budget away from government consumption and towards investment in economic infrastructure that is critical to competitiveness,” Dr Singh said in his address at the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association’s (GMSA)’s 30th Anniversary Dinner and Awards at the Marriott Hotel, on Wednesday. He assured the businesses that the government, led by President, Dr Irfaan Ali, will continue to be a responsible government and do all that is paramount to ensure that Guyana navigates the future and ensures its success and their success as investors. The minister, who delivered the feature address, noted that this was especially since Guyana operates in an unpredictable world economic environment. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Boat strike briefings help Hegseth - but shipwreck video release may hurt
In the days after a Washington Post report raised questions about a September strike by the US military on a suspected drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean, lawmakers in Congress pledged to investigate further. It was a rare moment of bipartisan concern about a controversial Trump administration action – prompting speculation that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was narrowly confirmed to office in January, might be on shaky ground. "Members are very concerned," Republican Congressman Mike Turner said in a television interview on Thursday morning. He added that his colleagues were questioning the accuracy of information provided to them by the Trump administration. Read more here
5th December 2025