Stakeholders seek budget funds to drive economy

Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Minority Leader Watson Duke expects provisions in today’s budget for Tobago businesses that have suffered from problems with the air and sea bridge, and $1 billion set aside to pay salaries of public servants up to 2018.

In a telephone interview with Newsday Tobago, Duke, commenting on expectations from the national budget to be presented today by Finance Minister Colm Imbert in Parliament, said he hoped provisions would be made to diversify the island’s economy.

“I would like to see greater provisions be made to diversify the economy of Tobago and while diversifying the economy, Government should compensate those persons within the tourism and business sectors that have lost earnings due to the inefficiencies of the air and sea bridge that was compromised by their own doings,” he said.

Duke, who is also President of the Public Services Association (PSA), also wanted public officers’ salaries to be brought up to date.

“We want to see a budget that reflects bringing public officers out of that black hole of 2013 salaries to 2018 salaries. They should make provisions for that and therefore I would want to suggest that the minister (of Finance) puts aside $1 billion to deal with salary increase for our members,” he said.

Also commenting on today’s budget, Micheson Neptune, President of the Tobago Agricultural Society (TAS), hopes Government would honour its commitments regarding grants to farmers.

“The $100,000 grant that was announced by the Minister of Finance in the last budget, we have not heard anything about that $100,000 grant to the farmers; we want them to check it out and see what exactly the situation is and how the farmers in Tobago can access that grant,” Neptune said.

He also called attention to other issues that the Society has been lobbying for over the years, hoping that they would be addressed in today’s budget.

“All the support systems that should be granted to farmers to increase their production, for example access roads, although they would have provided a $20 million last year, but there are other access roads that needs to be rehabilitated and maintained. So, I am hoping that an increased allocation is given for access roads, and also in terms of subsidies, provide additional subsidies so farmers can have increased financial support to increase their production,” he said.

Last week, tourism stakeholders said they were hoping that the budget reflects a $141 million allocation request from the Tobago House of Assembly to revive the tourism industry.

“The Tobago Tourism Agency Ltd presented a ‘Reviving Tourism Plan’ to the stakeholders which was costed at $141 million, and in the Tobago House of Assembly budget this request was stated. We certainly want that plan to be fully funded so that the tourism industry can start to grow again,” Chris James, President of the Tobago Hotels and Tourism Association told Newsday Tobago last Wednesday.

“It is key that we increase our destination marketing and make sure Tobago has the visibility needed…Now that the branding exercise is completed, we need to make full use of it and launch Tobago on the world stage at the World Travel Market in November,” James added.

He also noted other initiatives he said he hoped would materialise with required funding allocated for implementation.

“The re-introduction of the TTTIC (Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Industry Certification) Quality Assurance Programme needs to be funded,” he said, also noting the need for increased co-operation with Caribbean Airlines to assist in the growth of tourism on the island.

“The THTA wishes to see full funding for the hotel school as we will need more trained individuals as the tourism industry expands, a manpower audit needs to be completed urgently so that we know what skills we lack,” he said.

“We hope that the tourism upgrade programme is made more accessible so that all can benefit from the planned growth of the industry. The community tourism awareness programme needs to fully funded so that not only the sector’s importance to Tobago is understood but also all the opportunities are identified and embraced. We need the police and security services to be fully prepared to cope with the potential growth of Tobago’s tourism industry,” he added.

Kaye Trotman, President of the Tobago Unique Bed, Breakfast and Self-Catering Association, was looking forward to funding support for the small properties sector.

“We’re hoping that this would be a reality in the national budget so that at least enough funding will go to Tobago for the Tobago House of Assembly to be able to deal with tourism in an appropriate manner, and that supports the direction the Tobago Tourism Agency Ltd (TTA) is now going in,” Trotman said.