Finance Minister invites casino owners to meet with him

Finance Minister Colm Imbert
Finance Minister Colm Imbert

Finance Minister, Colm Imbert, has invited casino owners and/or shareholders to meet with him; "at a date and time to be determined", to discuss the100 percent increase in gaming taxes.

His invitation comes six days after TT Members Club Association (TTMCA) President, Sherry Persad, expressed disappointment following an October 20 with Minister in the Finance Ministry, Allyson West, in which they shared recommendations on how to better enforce existing taxes rather than unfairly taxing compliant operations.

"(West) promised to take our information back to (Imbert) but she could not give us any hope or guarantee. I felt as if we were going through the motions; we weren’t given any hope. We were looking at blank faces, no expressions and I am the one with the union now asking me what is going to become of their jobs."

Apparently having heard the casino owners' pleas for a direct meeting, Imbert yesterday (Thursday) extended what the ministry described as "a public invitation" to discuss the taxation of gambling tables and gambling devices.

Casino workers were not included, the ministry explained, "because taxation of gambling tables and devices is imposed on the owners of gambling establishments".

All owners, shareholders and directors of these organizations are therefore asked to indicate their willingness as soon as possible to attend a meeting with (Imbert) by calling the Corporate Communications Unit of the Ministry of Finance at 612-9700 extension 2804 or 2805 or by emailing comm.finance@gov.tt.

The meeting will be held at the Eric Williams Financial Complex, Port of Spain; the same location as the meeting last Friday with West.

Newsday attempted to get a comment from Persad but calls to her cell phone went unanswered.

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"Finance Minister invites casino owners to meet with him"

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