An “act of terror” against all citizens—especially the poor and middle class.
With that condemnation of Government’s 2018 Budget yesterday, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar denounced Finance Minister Colm Imbert for his 2018 package.
“This Minister is the tax man. Everything is tax…tax… tax... after two years and three budgets the population now accepts the mistake that was made in September 2015 (elections),” she said in her Budget reply in Parliament.
“I’ve noted growing despair among citizens on this Budget. A population already battered by rampant crime, high food prices, unemployment and under-employment. It’s the first ever budget to have alienated every single sector of the national community. But the poor and middle class will feel the true brunt.
“Never in the history of this Parliament have we ever had a Budget that essentially amounts to an act of terror against citizens, one which would conscientiously and actively destabilise T&T’s economic standing, the population’s lives and economic and social well-being.”
She added: “Budget 2018 has to be the most severe manifestation of misalignment of policy, as virtually every revenue raising measure will fall on the backs and pockets of one group directly or via pass on: the working class. But you cannot tax a people into prosperity.”
She said the fiscal measures on an already overburdened population have “led to an explosion of fear, disappointment and disenchantment, particularly among the working class.”
“The impact of these measures will lead ultimately to rising unemployment and under employment, increasing levels of poverty and crime, growing income inequality and concentration of wealth, loss of business confidence and competitiveness, increasing political risks and industrial instability - and possible civil unrest in society.”
She said the Budget was bankrupt of ideas to take T&T forward and would bankrupt citizens.
“It’s biased in favour of the super elite. Its brutal fiscal measures would further pauperise people. It would reduce the middle class and working class to abject poverty,” Persad-Bissessar said.
Saying she was deeply disappointed, she added, “It’s clear the majority of citizens feel this way and are angry - the mass gathering outside of Parliament today (of casino workers) demonstrates people are fed up. They’re tired of excuses and directives to ‘do more with less,’ ‘tighten your belt’ and ‘shut up’ while those holding high office enjoy every luxury.
“The Budget and rhetoric from ministers give the fake impression that this budget places a fair burden on all sectors to contribute. But it’s common knowledge that taxes on corporations, private hospitals, the banks, the so-called wealthy businesses will be passed on to the common man.”
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In her three-hour plus presentation, Persad-Bissessar also sought to show Imbert “attempted to obfuscate, distort and fudge the numbers and uttered some blatant untruths.” She also detailed discrepancies in figures given by the Prime Minister last week on economic issues
“I trust my presentation won’t be deemed ‘sterile and academic’ by the Minister: we now know he frowns on such interventions and isn’t averse to ‘throwing shade’. There’s no difference between the Prime Minister calling on MPs to ‘shut up’ and his minister’s rude remarks at the Chamber meeting,” she said in reference to the controversy stirred up at the T&T Chamber of Commerce’s post-Budget analysis on Tuesday.
She also called on Government to stop blaming everybody other than themselves.
“You blame the police for crime, you blame parents for delinquency, you blame public officers for corruption, you blame residents for flooding and you blame Kamla for everything and when you can’t find Kamla, you blame Marla (Dukhran)!”
Persad-Bissessar also disputed the Budget’s maths and defended her PP administration against accusations of mismanagement.
“The Rowley government’s days are lessening. When we hear protesters outside (the Chamber) we know they’re clinging to the ledge, they as stable as Jello.”