Kamla: PNM seeking $$ for election

OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said the PNM is looking to extract money from citizens to fund its general-election campaign.

She made this allegation at a UNC public meeting at the party's headquarters in Chaguanas on September 16.

Persad-Bissessar referred to recent media reports about a ceremony at Port of Spain City Hall where 800 people were given grants for home repairs under the National Social Development Programme, under the Social Development and Family Services Ministry.

She said the minister, Donna Cox, was quoted as saying at that function that these 800 people benefited from the programme at "the cost of approximately $3.5 million for this year so far.”

Persad-Bissessar asked how the recipients were selected for the programme.

She claimed, "This government has corrupted a programme meant for the poor and vulnerable to misuse your property-tax money for political campaigning."

Persad-Bissessar also claimed government is "taking your hard-earned money, which you could have used to improve your home, to fund their political activists."

She repeated UNC allegations that because of its mismanagement of the economy over the last nine years, the government is broke and will come for people's money.

After repeating the UNC's opposition to property tax and the TT Revenue Authority (TTRA), Persad-Bissessar called both of these initiatives attempts by government to get money for its election campaign.

In the case of the latter, she asked party supporters, "Which of you sitting here and listening at home, or small business owner, big business owner, or pensioner, could kick down the bank's front door to stop them from emptying your private bank account because of an instruction from the minister or TTRA that you owe taxes?"

Earlier in the day, the Privy Council unanimously ruled that the Revenue Authority Act is constitutional.

In a subsequent post on X, Finance Minister Colm Imbert welcomed the ruling.

"Now we can modernise revenue collection in TT!”

In response to the ruling, Public Services Association (PSA) president Leroy Baptiste said it sheds no light on the possible fate of workers at the Inland Revenue Division (IRD) and Customs and Excise Division (CED), who now face an uncertain future.

The TTRA is to be formed from a merger of the IRD and CED.