Trinidad & Tobago
Compensation for flood victims
Port-of-Spain – Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley last week announced Cabinet has approved the sum of (TT) $35 million to assist people affected by floods. Rowley made the announcement following his return from the IV Caricom-Mexico Summit in Belize. He said he directed Finance Minister Colm Imbert, who chaired the meeting, to ensure Cabinet approved the allocation. He said steps will be taken to ensure that this assistance reaches those most in need.
Rowley said the Mexican government is willing to help this country deal with natural disasters and this could include strengthening the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management. He said Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto informed him Mexico is prepared to help Trinidad and Tobago improve its ability to handle natural disasters.
Rowley said Mexico has provided (US) $5 million each to Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda to assist their respective recoveries from Hurricanes Maria and Irma.
As part a planned review of the ODPM, and in keeping with local government reform, Rowley said the 14 local government corporations in Trinidad and the Tobago House of Assembly will be strengthened as first responders to any natural disaster.
Dismissing claims from the Opposition that he was passing blame for flooding on the ODPM, Rowley said: “There are some people who actually enjoy a good flood.” He said while the government is undertaking a coordinated approach to bringing relief to those affected, other people “came out in their party clothes and their little boats.” He said some people were “genuinely happy” there was flooding in South Trinidad.
“I have seen Members of Parliament accusing the government of racism because some parts of the country flood,” he said.
Rowley recalled there was significant damage in his constituency of Diego Martin West in 2014 because of flooding.
“We did not accuse anybody of racism. We stayed very quiet. We took it in stride,” he said.
He added people are aware that all the country’s water courses have certain retention limits. While as head of the government he is ultimately responsible for its operations, he said there are government ministers who report to him and they are assisted by technocrats. “We all have different roles. I am not taking any advice from the Opposition,” he said.
He explained that even if water courses are dredged or cleared, periods of heavy rainfall can cause these limits to be breached and flooding occurs.
Port-of-Spain - President's Medal winner 2016, Priya Maraj, is taking legal action against the State to recover payments not made on her scholarship.
Maraj, 19, is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at the University of Toronto in Canada with plans to pursue a career in forensic sciences.
Maraj previously attended Lakshmi Girls' Hindu College and was the top performer in Environmental Studies, ICT, Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
She started her programme in August this year after taking some time off following her President's Medal award.
"I haven't received anything and I have been relying on help from my family to offset the costs," Maraj said.
She said she was left with no choice but to seek legal action because of the financial strain her scholarship is putting on her family.
"It was not supposed to be like this," Maraj said. "It hasn't gotten embarrassing yet because I deferred the initial payment to the university, and then my family helped with the first payment, but it cannot continue because it puts an unexpected financial strain on them."
A pre-action protocol letter was sent to the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education on September 21, but Maraj said she has not heard a word from the State since.
"The scholarship division responded once to tell me who to direct the correspondence to, so I knew who was handling the case, but that was it," she said.
According to the pre-action letter, sent through UNC senator and attorney Gerald Ramdeen, Maraj never breached the terms of the scholarship agreement.
"In compliance with the said agreement, my client has and continues to abide by the laws of Canada and has refrained in participating in activities which are or likely to be harmful or otherwise damaging or detrimental to the interests, security and or reputation of Trinidad and Tobago," Ramdeen said in the letter.
As a result of the government's breach of the scholarship contract, Maraj is forced to rely on the charity of friends and family, the letter stated.
"My client comes from a most humble and simple home and she has made great sacrifices to achieve her outstanding academic accomplishments," the letter added.
Maraj is seeking the promised personal maintenance payment of (Can) $1,072 for the duration of the scholarship tenure, as well as the annual (Can) $937 book allowance, a first time warm clothing allowance of (Can) $812 and the fees for the fall/winter semester.
She is also seeking coverage of her travel expenses to Canada from when she started school. The legal action also seeks (Can) $53,584.56 for Maraj's tuition.
The Education Ministry was given 14 days to respond but that time has since elapsed, which has since triggered the legal action against the Attorney General's office.
"I am instructed to bring action against the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago, pursuant to the provisions of the State Liability and Proceedings Act acting on behalf of the State of Trinidad and Tobago," Ramdeen wrote.
He said Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi is included in the legal action as "the proposed defendant" as his office has breached the terms of the scholarship contract with Maraj.
Maraj, 19, is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at the University of Toronto in Canada with plans to pursue a career in forensic sciences.
Maraj previously attended Lakshmi Girls' Hindu College and was the top performer in Environmental Studies, ICT, Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
She started her programme in August this year after taking some time off following her President's Medal award.
"I haven't received anything and I have been relying on help from my family to offset the costs," Maraj said.
She said she was left with no choice but to seek legal action because of the financial strain her scholarship is putting on her family.
"It was not supposed to be like this," Maraj said. "It hasn't gotten embarrassing yet because I deferred the initial payment to the university, and then my family helped with the first payment, but it cannot continue because it puts an unexpected financial strain on them."
A pre-action protocol letter was sent to the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education on September 21, but Maraj said she has not heard a word from the State since.
"The scholarship division responded once to tell me who to direct the correspondence to, so I knew who was handling the case, but that was it," she said.
According to the pre-action letter, sent through UNC senator and attorney Gerald Ramdeen, Maraj never breached the terms of the scholarship agreement.
"In compliance with the said agreement, my client has and continues to abide by the laws of Canada and has refrained in participating in activities which are or likely to be harmful or otherwise damaging or detrimental to the interests, security and or reputation of Trinidad and Tobago," Ramdeen said in the letter.
As a result of the government's breach of the scholarship contract, Maraj is forced to rely on the charity of friends and family, the letter stated.
"My client comes from a most humble and simple home and she has made great sacrifices to achieve her outstanding academic accomplishments," the letter added.
Maraj is seeking the promised personal maintenance payment of (Can) $1,072 for the duration of the scholarship tenure, as well as the annual (Can) $937 book allowance, a first time warm clothing allowance of (Can) $812 and the fees for the fall/winter semester.
She is also seeking coverage of her travel expenses to Canada from when she started school. The legal action also seeks (Can) $53,584.56 for Maraj's tuition.
The Education Ministry was given 14 days to respond but that time has since elapsed, which has since triggered the legal action against the Attorney General's office.
"I am instructed to bring action against the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago, pursuant to the provisions of the State Liability and Proceedings Act acting on behalf of the State of Trinidad and Tobago," Ramdeen wrote.
He said Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi is included in the legal action as "the proposed defendant" as his office has breached the terms of the scholarship contract with Maraj.
Port-of-Spain – There are many economic actors in the society who are earning a good living and are clearly avoiding their fair share of taxes while benefiting from services provided by the State, Minister in the Ministry of Finance Allyson West said last week.
West made the statement while piloting the 2018 Budget in the Senate during her maiden Budget delivery. She said there is serious concern regarding the equity in the administration of the taxes.
“We have wage earners who are relentlessly taxed by the week or the month; who may be living from pay cheque to pay cheque while a wide range of persons making quite a good living aren’t bearing their share of tax. This is regressive and repressive. It’s in this context, that government has looked at good practice options to address tax administration,” West added.
She said the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority is expected to begin operations in 2018.
West said the difference between the taxes that should be collected and the taxes that are collected in Trinidad and Tobago is between (TT) $12 billion and $15 billion, according to a recent study by UWI economists. The study also showed a Corporation Tax gap estimated to be between $5.1 to $6.6 billion and the VAT gap between $1.9 and $2.4 billion.
She said the total revenue collected by the government in 2017 was $10 billion less than budgeted. “It’s for this reason that a significant component of our fiscal policy will be to address tax administration.”
Case studies by reputable international institutions indicate a well–structured Revenue Authority not only facilitates coordination and collaboration between main tax collection offices, “but also allows for the recruitment, assessment and proper reward of specialised staff which is not always possible in the traditional public service,” she said.
Speaking to property tax, West noted: “The time has come when property owners must begin to contribute a share of these benefits to assist in financing Trinidad and Tobago’s development and providing funds for the servicing of the communities in which their properties are located. It isn’t government’s intention to introduce taxes which place too heavy a burden on the population, which is why the Property Tax Act introduces rates of tax lower than those under the Land and Building Taxes Act and the Municipal Corporations Act.”
She said while the Gaming Industry is worth an estimated $15-$20 billion, little tax is collected. Compliance rate by Members Clubs and Amusement Gaming operators is less than 10% and seven %, respectively.
“The proposed gaming legislation is to be laid in Parliament soon and we’re hopeful that with the support of our friends on the other side, who in fact crafted the Bill, that legislation will be in place in 2018. In the interim, we propose to more rigorously enforce current legislation which provides limited industry regulation,” she said.
She added, “These are unusual times which call for major changes in our thinking, policies, institutions and our approach to how we live. It calls for serious adjustment from all sectors of society and each of us.”
West made the statement while piloting the 2018 Budget in the Senate during her maiden Budget delivery. She said there is serious concern regarding the equity in the administration of the taxes.
“We have wage earners who are relentlessly taxed by the week or the month; who may be living from pay cheque to pay cheque while a wide range of persons making quite a good living aren’t bearing their share of tax. This is regressive and repressive. It’s in this context, that government has looked at good practice options to address tax administration,” West added.
She said the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority is expected to begin operations in 2018.
West said the difference between the taxes that should be collected and the taxes that are collected in Trinidad and Tobago is between (TT) $12 billion and $15 billion, according to a recent study by UWI economists. The study also showed a Corporation Tax gap estimated to be between $5.1 to $6.6 billion and the VAT gap between $1.9 and $2.4 billion.
She said the total revenue collected by the government in 2017 was $10 billion less than budgeted. “It’s for this reason that a significant component of our fiscal policy will be to address tax administration.”
Case studies by reputable international institutions indicate a well–structured Revenue Authority not only facilitates coordination and collaboration between main tax collection offices, “but also allows for the recruitment, assessment and proper reward of specialised staff which is not always possible in the traditional public service,” she said.
Speaking to property tax, West noted: “The time has come when property owners must begin to contribute a share of these benefits to assist in financing Trinidad and Tobago’s development and providing funds for the servicing of the communities in which their properties are located. It isn’t government’s intention to introduce taxes which place too heavy a burden on the population, which is why the Property Tax Act introduces rates of tax lower than those under the Land and Building Taxes Act and the Municipal Corporations Act.”
She said while the Gaming Industry is worth an estimated $15-$20 billion, little tax is collected. Compliance rate by Members Clubs and Amusement Gaming operators is less than 10% and seven %, respectively.
“The proposed gaming legislation is to be laid in Parliament soon and we’re hopeful that with the support of our friends on the other side, who in fact crafted the Bill, that legislation will be in place in 2018. In the interim, we propose to more rigorously enforce current legislation which provides limited industry regulation,” she said.
She added, “These are unusual times which call for major changes in our thinking, policies, institutions and our approach to how we live. It calls for serious adjustment from all sectors of society and each of us.”
Port-of-Spain – Central farmers hit hard by last month’s flooding have sent out a plea to the government to pay outstanding subsidies and respective grants quickly so they can “get back up on their two feet in time for Christmas”.
Farmers in Caparo, Todds Road, Mamoral and Tabaquite, said last week although the flood waters have receded they are still recovering from the destruction.
Most of their crops were destroyed during Tropical Storm Bret in June. Now having replanted, this second round of produce has once again been destroyed by floods.
Santa Phillipa Road, Caparo farmer, Bissram Seerattan said he experienced a double whammy in the floods as not only was his crops destroyed, but his home was flooded as well. He lost appliances and furniture.
“I lost over $30,000 in crops. I had pimentos, hot peppers, cucumbers, ochroes, and chilli peppers. I usually sell wholesale and to supermarkets and food shops in the area,” Seerattan said.
“Also in my home, I lost over (TT) $15,000 in appliances. My fridge, loaded with foodstuff, floated away. I had to throw away clothes and a bed… real losses,” he said.
Mamoral farmer, Vishnu Henry said he lost 300 ducks, along with over $10,000 in crops – including lettuce, pimentos, hot peppers, tomatoes, bodi, and caraille.
“The ducks alone is a real loss for me,” he said, which were valued around $8,000.
Another farmer said he was still awaiting the payment for crops lost after Tropical Storm Bret.
“We are being owed about two sets of subsidies for the equipment we purchased, also for irrigation for Bret. They came and assessed, and we did the necessary signing up of the documents, but no monies were released. Now it have a next flood and they assessing us again. We need our monies to start back up,” he said.
Minister of Agriculture, Clarence Rambharat last week toured several farm areas, saying assessment exercises were underway.
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Farmers' Union, Shiraz Khan, also called on the government to assist farmers get back on their feet. Khan said vegetable and livestock farmers were severely affected by the recent flooding.
"This was a terrible one for farmers, we suffered a hell of a loss this time around. It was worse than Tropical Storm Bret," he said.
Khan said farmers in central Trinidad, Tabaquite, Rio Claro, Barrackpore and Penal were still counting their losses. Many farmers were unable to get to their holdings to assess damages as the access roads remained inaccessible.
"The vegetable farmers were the hardest hit. In the case of livestock farmers, many lost ducks and chickens, not because of the flooding but because of wet pens," he said.
Khan said it was the government's responsibility to help the farmers get back on their feet. He said farmers did not expect full compensation for their losses, but something to help them rebuild.
"We had a problem with compensation when Tropical Storm Bret passed. The farmers went to the Ministry, and were told they were not registered farmers so they could not be compensated. I hope this time around the government would rethink this and help the farmers. This flooding was very severe and the farmers need help to restart their production," he said.
Meanwhile, higher prices for local produce were already noticeable in the markets throughout Trinidad. Produce prices have already increased on some foods, a result of seasonal availability, demand, pests, previous flooding, and other issues affecting local agriculture, such as theft.
Some vendors in Central and North Trinidad said fluctuations in the market were also due to the hurricane season.
The sellers said while islands from which Trinidad and Tobago usually imports produce, like St Vincent and Grenada, were not badly hit, rough seas and overall disruptions in cargo transport affected availability of crops.
Earlier last month, the price of tomatoes rose from $8 to $10 to between $16 to $20 per pound, even at fresh markets. Green seasoning is also currently at a high, with celery and chives bundles going for between $7 and $10. Pimentos have remained fairly plentiful, but are still going for more – about 10-15 for $5, as opposed to $25-$30 last month.
Scotch bonnet peppers have increased only slightly at four for $5, whereas these were six for the same price last month. Ground provision prices will go up as floods in parts of central, south and east Trinidad have ruined some crops. One farmer said there was a chance that provisions such as dasheen and eddoes may survive if flood waters subside by the end of the week. Sweet potato crops may not be lucky and could climb beyond the current price, between $8 and $10 per pound.
Low-grown and delicate crops, such as cabbage, patchoi, and lettuce, will likely be scarce for the next month they said, also due to floods. Local lettuce is currently going for as much as $12 a head and cabbage for $8 to $10 per pound.
Local patchoi and cauliflower have been already been scarce for the past weeks, due to wet weather and pests, with melongene going for $14 per pound at the Chaguanas market last week.
Farmers in Caparo, Todds Road, Mamoral and Tabaquite, said last week although the flood waters have receded they are still recovering from the destruction.
Most of their crops were destroyed during Tropical Storm Bret in June. Now having replanted, this second round of produce has once again been destroyed by floods.
Santa Phillipa Road, Caparo farmer, Bissram Seerattan said he experienced a double whammy in the floods as not only was his crops destroyed, but his home was flooded as well. He lost appliances and furniture.
“I lost over $30,000 in crops. I had pimentos, hot peppers, cucumbers, ochroes, and chilli peppers. I usually sell wholesale and to supermarkets and food shops in the area,” Seerattan said.
“Also in my home, I lost over (TT) $15,000 in appliances. My fridge, loaded with foodstuff, floated away. I had to throw away clothes and a bed… real losses,” he said.
Mamoral farmer, Vishnu Henry said he lost 300 ducks, along with over $10,000 in crops – including lettuce, pimentos, hot peppers, tomatoes, bodi, and caraille.
“The ducks alone is a real loss for me,” he said, which were valued around $8,000.
Another farmer said he was still awaiting the payment for crops lost after Tropical Storm Bret.
“We are being owed about two sets of subsidies for the equipment we purchased, also for irrigation for Bret. They came and assessed, and we did the necessary signing up of the documents, but no monies were released. Now it have a next flood and they assessing us again. We need our monies to start back up,” he said.
Minister of Agriculture, Clarence Rambharat last week toured several farm areas, saying assessment exercises were underway.
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Farmers' Union, Shiraz Khan, also called on the government to assist farmers get back on their feet. Khan said vegetable and livestock farmers were severely affected by the recent flooding.
"This was a terrible one for farmers, we suffered a hell of a loss this time around. It was worse than Tropical Storm Bret," he said.
Khan said farmers in central Trinidad, Tabaquite, Rio Claro, Barrackpore and Penal were still counting their losses. Many farmers were unable to get to their holdings to assess damages as the access roads remained inaccessible.
"The vegetable farmers were the hardest hit. In the case of livestock farmers, many lost ducks and chickens, not because of the flooding but because of wet pens," he said.
Khan said it was the government's responsibility to help the farmers get back on their feet. He said farmers did not expect full compensation for their losses, but something to help them rebuild.
"We had a problem with compensation when Tropical Storm Bret passed. The farmers went to the Ministry, and were told they were not registered farmers so they could not be compensated. I hope this time around the government would rethink this and help the farmers. This flooding was very severe and the farmers need help to restart their production," he said.
Meanwhile, higher prices for local produce were already noticeable in the markets throughout Trinidad. Produce prices have already increased on some foods, a result of seasonal availability, demand, pests, previous flooding, and other issues affecting local agriculture, such as theft.
Some vendors in Central and North Trinidad said fluctuations in the market were also due to the hurricane season.
The sellers said while islands from which Trinidad and Tobago usually imports produce, like St Vincent and Grenada, were not badly hit, rough seas and overall disruptions in cargo transport affected availability of crops.
Earlier last month, the price of tomatoes rose from $8 to $10 to between $16 to $20 per pound, even at fresh markets. Green seasoning is also currently at a high, with celery and chives bundles going for between $7 and $10. Pimentos have remained fairly plentiful, but are still going for more – about 10-15 for $5, as opposed to $25-$30 last month.
Scotch bonnet peppers have increased only slightly at four for $5, whereas these were six for the same price last month. Ground provision prices will go up as floods in parts of central, south and east Trinidad have ruined some crops. One farmer said there was a chance that provisions such as dasheen and eddoes may survive if flood waters subside by the end of the week. Sweet potato crops may not be lucky and could climb beyond the current price, between $8 and $10 per pound.
Low-grown and delicate crops, such as cabbage, patchoi, and lettuce, will likely be scarce for the next month they said, also due to floods. Local lettuce is currently going for as much as $12 a head and cabbage for $8 to $10 per pound.
Local patchoi and cauliflower have been already been scarce for the past weeks, due to wet weather and pests, with melongene going for $14 per pound at the Chaguanas market last week.
Port-of-Spain – Social activist Hazel Brown last week chided Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley following his comment comparing women to golf courses. She issued the reproach after receiving an honorary doctorate at the St Augustine campus of The University of the West Indies.
Brown was conferred with an honorary degree during the university's Social Sciences Faculty graduation, at UWI's Sports and Physical Education Centre, but even while accepting the award Brown urged those gathered to embrace their consumer rights and power. She also told the graduates to put their qualifications to good use as she expressed her disappointment in the lack of consistent, purposeful organising by qualified people in what she termed areas of active citizenship.
"There is a lot of talk but not the kind of advocacy and civil society actions needed," she said. Brown also called for gender justice.
"I mean recognising the human rights of women and girls and the need to transform the unequal power relations, cultural beliefs and norms that exist in our homes, communities, business, everywhere and promote the sharing of power, resources and responsibility between men and women," she stated. She called for respect for women in Parliament, "and not equating them to golf courses meant to be cared and nurtured", referring to Rowley's statement.
On October 12, during debate on the 2017-2018 budget in Parliament, Rowley said: "Trinidad and Tobago... we have a number of golf courses, most of them are sheep's pastures. And my colleague, he knows better... my friend from Caroni East, he knows better, he knows what a golf course should be like and a golf course is like a woman, you have to groom her everyday otherwise it turns into a pasture."
The Prime Minister has since been taken to task for his statement.
Brown was conferred with an honorary degree during the university's Social Sciences Faculty graduation, at UWI's Sports and Physical Education Centre, but even while accepting the award Brown urged those gathered to embrace their consumer rights and power. She also told the graduates to put their qualifications to good use as she expressed her disappointment in the lack of consistent, purposeful organising by qualified people in what she termed areas of active citizenship.
"There is a lot of talk but not the kind of advocacy and civil society actions needed," she said. Brown also called for gender justice.
"I mean recognising the human rights of women and girls and the need to transform the unequal power relations, cultural beliefs and norms that exist in our homes, communities, business, everywhere and promote the sharing of power, resources and responsibility between men and women," she stated. She called for respect for women in Parliament, "and not equating them to golf courses meant to be cared and nurtured", referring to Rowley's statement.
On October 12, during debate on the 2017-2018 budget in Parliament, Rowley said: "Trinidad and Tobago... we have a number of golf courses, most of them are sheep's pastures. And my colleague, he knows better... my friend from Caroni East, he knows better, he knows what a golf course should be like and a golf course is like a woman, you have to groom her everyday otherwise it turns into a pasture."
The Prime Minister has since been taken to task for his statement.
