PM’s pre-Budget forum today

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley will today host the forum, “Spotlight on Trinidad and Tobago’s Financial Circumstances: The Road Ahead.”

The event takes place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port-of-Spain from 9 am to 3 pm.

After the event, there will be a news conference in the Regency’s Diamond Room at 3.30 pm. The forum will be broadcast live on State-owned Caribbean New Media Group.

At a post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s last Thursday, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Stuart Young said, Rowley will chair the event and there will be a detailed presentation by the Finance Ministry on the state of the country’s economy.

He said the forum will also see presentations by members of the business community, the labour movement and other stakeholder groups in the country. Among the groups expected to participate in today’s event are the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Joint Trade Union Movement.

Up to press time yesterday, preparations for today’s forum were still underway.

Former minister Devant Maharaj claimed the forum was a political mamaguy.

The forum happens ahead of Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s presentation of the 2017/2018 Budget in the House of Representatives on October 2. Some commentators are predicting the budget will contain several austerity measures.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar will respond to the Budget on October 6.