Casino workers: We were given no hope

Disappointed and disheartened. This was the general feeling among casino owners and workers yesterday (Friday), following a meeting with Minister in the Finance Ministry, Allyson West, about the 100 percent increase in gaming taxes.

Speaking with the media TT Members Club Association (TTMCA) President, Sherry Persad, said they had hoped for actual discussion on their proposals to increase revenue collection, rather than West’s promise to pass on their recommendations to Finance Minister, Colm Imbert.

“(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,” Persad lamented.

Reiterating their argument against the tax increase, Persad said rather than target compliant owners, Imbert should tackle “the lack of enforcement”. “We think this very vindictive and we have offered to help (since) you’re not collecting from the other 90 per cent.”

Dozens of casino workers listened closely to Persad as she spoke in the quadrangle of the Eric Williams Financial Complex, Port of Spain.

Executive member of the Union of Members Clubs and Lottery Workers (UMCLW), Victoria Ford, fought back tears as she responded to the news.

“A lot of people have already been laid off; people have been calling me and crying.

“They don’t know how they’re going to pay their rent, how they’re going to mind their children. They want to know what’s the next step, how do we go from here? We were hoping something would come out of this, so we could get a peaceful night’s sleep.”

Unfortunately for Ford and her colleagues, yesterday’s meeting failed to answer any of these questions.

TTMCA legal representative, Christlyn Moore, also addressed the media. She claimed the ministry’s calculations; on which it based the pending tax increases, are ‘off’.

“(Imbert’s) figure is predicated on a head count of private members clubs (but) not all private members clubs hold licenses to gamble. So if the minister is doing a head count of private members clubs to decide how many are compliant from how many are not, he is in error from the beginning,” Moore said.

Commenting on the meeting, the ministry said West informed the TTMCA that it is not Government’s aim to close the gaming industry. Rather, it wants to “ensure that the industry, whose members do not pay Corporation Tax, contribute fairly to the public revenue.”

The minister also noted Imbert could not attend because “it is mandatory” that he be present in Parliamnt during the 2018 budget debate.