Farley: Cost of living affecting Tobago's birth rate

TOBAGO People’s Party (TPP) political leader Farley Augustine has lamented the island’s declining birth rate.

Addressing a political meeting at the Montgomery Recreation Ground, Bethel, on April 15, Augustine weighed in on the country's high cost of living, which he said, has resulted in many people deciding to not have more than one child.

He said he has also been affected by the situation.

“You go to the supermarket, the price of goods going up every Monday morning. I have a young child and God alone knows why is only one type of milk she does drink. One day I go in the supermarket is $93. Next day I go back is a hundred-and-something dollars.

“Ah say, nah, you have to drink bush tea, because I cyah afford you again. Pampers going up. You have to ask yourself, how many children could you really have?”

Augustine went on, “And perhaps many young Tobagonians are taking an economic decision not to have more children. And so our birth rate on the island has declined sharply.”

He said seven years ago, Tobago was producing between 900 and 1,000 births every year.

“We are down to just over 400. That is a sharp decline, almost 40 per cent decline or more. And if we are to really create an island that has a private sector that can grow, we actually will need more human beings here so the economies of scale will balance better.”

Augustine, who is also the THA Chief Secretary, told supporters there was a link between their cost of living expenses and the government’s policies.

“Where are the controls on food prices, where are the regulations on renting and renting prices on the island or in the country?

“Why are we applying taxes to things that we should not apply taxes to? You could have evade some of the high costs and take yuh little credit card with a little $2,000 or $5,000 TT limit and by a little thing online.

“Now everything you buy online from Amazon, they might be cheaper, or Alibaba, you have to now pay taxes on that because they want you to go into the stores run by their one-per-cent friends. So give them the money as opposed to employing you to see about your family. That’s a government policy that has impacted your ability to live in this country.”

He said the high cost of living was also being felt at the pump.

“When you look at the fact that they keep raising the price of fuel at the pump and then they laugh in your face and say, ‘Yuh eh riot yet,’ I want to tell you that you have to riot come April 28, 2025, and stamp your X next to the anchor (TPP’s symbol). Because every time they raise the fuel price, the price of food goes up, the price of public transportation goes up, the price of every single thing goes up.”

Augustine said young people cannot even own a home.

“Young people, for you to own a home, you have to have a salary of at least $22,000 combined or by yourself. You can’t get a mortgage just so, unless is an average home at an average cost of about $1.5 million. How you affording that?”