Charles pleased with $2.23b allocation for Tobago

TOBAGO House of Assembly Chief Secretary, Kelvin Charles, is very satisfied with the $2.23 billion allocation for Tobago in the national budget.

He is specifically enthralled as, for the first time, approval has been given to borrow $300 million for development, based on credit-worthiness, via bonds financing.

Imbert announced the THA was allocated $2.033 billion for recurrent expenditure, $231.6 million for capital expenditure, and $18 million for the URP Tobago.

“We are well poised to continue on our developmental path and to continue to bring relief to the residents of Tobago,” Charles told media after the presentation at the Parliament.

He described the budget as a “pragmatic and realistic one” that was well crafted to bring hope and comfort to TT.

“We are satisfied; we have received no less than in previous years.”

Charles was pleased about the announcement of the ongoing negotiations with CAF – the Development Bank of Latin America – for a US$16 million loan that will assist Tobago with its coastal erosion programme and marine environment protection.

“This budget is a reward for all of us who would have, together, sacrificed to ensure that the economy moved from stabilisation to a point where it is heading for sustained growth.”

For THA minority member Farley Augustine, this was a “clever election budget” that will ultimately fail to meet the basic needs of the average Tobagonian.

He questioned where the money is going, alleging Tobago has a management problem and millions have gone unaccounted for yearly.

“It’s larger than how much money we received, and it’s more about what we have been receiving. Trinidad boasts about building 3,000 houses per year. We have not even built 30 per year in the last four years. Trinidad has an indoor sporting facility, Tobago continues to go without a modern sporting facility.”

Farley wasn’t too excited about the allocation as Charles, saying Tobago has received “matches budgets over the last 20 or so years, and nothing is surprising about the allocation to Tobago.”

He said it’s disappointing to hear Imbert boast that Tobago received 4.3 per cent of the national budget because it’s significantly lower than the $4.8 billion requested by the THA in June.

He said the revival of the seabridge is not an accomplishment by the government, since they are to be blamed for the collapse of the interisland service.

Augustine admitted seeing some “incremental improvements in the seabridge with the leased boats, and we do hope the new boats come on stream so we don’t have to swim again to demonstrate how ridiculous it is to not have a functioning seabridge.”