Mark: Paria Fuel Trading operating without a licence

Wade Mark
Wade Mark

OPPOSITION Senator Wade Mark has claimed Paria Fuel Trading is operating without a licence and thus breaking the law.

He made the allegation on Monday while contributing to Senate debate on the Miscellaneous Provisions (Petroleum, Petroleum Production Levy and Subsidy and Income Tax) Bill 2019.

Mark said Sections 6:1 and 2 of the bill deal with petroleum operations, which include the marketing and transportation of petroleum products.

"The trading business is engaged in the supplying of petroleum products. Therefore it falls squarely under the definition of petroleum operations."

He said Section 6:1 says no one shall engage in petroleum operations unless a licence is first obtained as provided for by this act and the regulations, and subsection 2 says a person who contravenes this section is liable upon summary conviction to a fine of $500,000 and in the case of a continued offence a further fine of $50,000 for every day the offence continues.

"My information (and investigation)...(and I may be wrong, I'm always subject to correction) is, Paria Fuel Trading Company Ltd is operating in TT without an approved licence by the Minister of Energy and Energy Industries."

Mark said he would take his seat for a few seconds to allow Minister in the Finance Ministry Allyson West, who piloted the bill, to clear for the Senate whether Paria Fuel Trading has a licence that has been approved by the Energy Ministry.

"I will give her two seconds and I will rise again. I want to know the truth."

West, however, made no move to rise.

Mark said: "Two seconds are up. So I can only assume that my information is correct, that the Government of TT has a company operating in contravention of the law, in breach of the law, in violation of the law."

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"Mark: Paria Fuel Trading operating without a licence"

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