Fuel increase affects all of TT

Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) president Ancel Roget said the trade unions will continue to raise their concerns against the rise in the price of fuel, especially diesel. Roget was speaking at a street meeting at Library Corner, San Fernando yesterday.

“You do not have to own a vehicle to be affected by the price of fuel,” Roget said, adding that everyone in the country is affected by this move since the price of goods and transport automatically goes up therefore increasing the cost of living .

Roget noted unions met in Arima recently and in San Fernando and people are complaining. “There is abject poverty throughout the country,” Roget said, noting URP workers and minimum wage workers will be severely hit by this budget since their salaries remain the same.

He noted Minister of Finance Colm Imbert’s increase on taxes on the purchase of vehicles saying,”This minister is making it difficult for the ‘small man’ to own a vehicle while he and his collegues do not pay tax,” he said.

Roget called on Imbert to reverse the increased taxes on the purchase of vehicles. “If we are paying tax then they should also pay tax,” he said. He went on to say the unions are prepared to protest against the Government on these issues. The union head stated that the real issues affecting the common man include the price of food and transport to send their children to school.