00:00I have to congratulate the Prime Minister, Mr. Speaker.
00:05I saw that the Prime Minister added a minister in the Ministry of Finance
00:09who actually has some governance experience, Mr. Speaker,
00:14because she realized that this Minister of Finance has none.
00:17San Fernando East MP Brian Manning, a former minister in the Ministry of Finance
00:21during the previous PNM government,
00:24leading off the opposition's response to the new UNC-led government's
00:28first media review of the budget.
00:30Mr. Speaker, I have reliable information
00:33that those on the other side have reached their hands into the HSF,
00:38but they haven't announced it to the people of this country, Mr. Speaker.
00:42That reference to the Heritage and Stabilization Fund
00:45led to an intervention by House Speaker Jagdeo Singh.
00:49The constant resort to reliable information
00:54is something that has me concerned.
00:58If you are going to represent to the House
01:01that the information you have, you have seen it,
01:04you rely on it, and there must be a reason why you rely on it,
01:09I'm going to allow you to continue.
01:11But I take that as a representation that you hold to.
01:15Yes. Thank you.
01:17Mr. Speaker, I retract.
01:18What I'm saying to those on the other side
01:20is that I'm asking a question.
01:24Have you reached into the HSF
01:27to support some of this expenditure, Mr. Speaker?
01:31The opposition MP responded to Finance Minister
01:34Devijanath Tanku's declaration
01:35that the government had to seek the approval
01:38of the House of Representatives
01:39for a supplementary allocation of just over $3 billion
01:43to the 2025 budget
01:45because of the actions of the former PNM administration.
01:49Mr. Speaker, that means
01:51that we have an anticipated budget,
01:55anticipated expenditure of this fiscal year
01:57of $62.88 billion, Mr. Speaker.
02:03Mr. Speaker, if that holds true,
02:06that means that this would be the single largest budget
02:09in the history of Trinidad and Tobago.
02:13And all we have heard from the Minister of Finance
02:15is coming here to celebrate accumulating more and more debt.
02:20MP Manning said the revenue authority
02:22could have resulted in an additional $10 billion
02:25in state revenue
02:26as he referred to some of the UNC's
02:282025 election campaign promises.
02:32Doing, Mr. Speaker, in a not subtle way
02:37is laying the foundation
02:39for reneging on many of the ridiculous campaign promises.
02:47They promised the people of this country
02:49things that they knew they could not deliver
02:51and now they are paving a road
02:53to try to blame the former government.
02:56The first thing they did coming here
02:58is to eliminate $10 billion in additional revenues
03:01which could have easily covered
03:02some of the salary increases
03:04they promised to the public servants of this country.
03:06Mr. Speaker, they have no intention
03:08of keeping those ridiculous promises.
03:10MP Manning said the government of Trinidad and Tobago
03:13has two sources of revenue,
03:16energy royalties and taxation.
03:18Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
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