BUDGET NEXT MONDAY

CCNTV6

The stage is set for the first national budget under the new UNC Government, with Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo scheduled to deliver his maiden fiscal presentation on October 13th. As expectations mount, TV6 News has been informed that the budget will be extensive and politically charged with a spotlight on alleged financial mismanagement by the former PNM administration.

Transcript

00:00The first national budget under the new UNC administration will be presented on Monday, October 13th.

00:08Officials at the Finance Ministry are currently finalizing key documents and reports

00:12to support what will be Finance Minister Devindranath Tanku's first full fiscal package.

00:19Senior sources at the Ministry tell TV6 News the presentation is expected to be a lengthy one

00:25with a primary focus on what the UNC has described as widespread mismanagement under the previous P&M administration.

00:33It remains to be seen whether Minister Tanku will surpass the country's longest ever budget presentation,

00:40a record currently held by former Finance Minister Korm Imbit,

00:44who spoke for five hours and 44 minutes during the 2024-2025 budget on September 30th.

00:52As anticipation builds, sources remain tight-lipped on whether this budget,

00:57the first of five expected over the UNC's term, will include any goodies for the public.

01:04The government has consistently cited economic mismanagement by the P&M

01:09as the root cause of the current economic hole facing Trinidad and Tobago.

01:15While this is Tanku's first full budget, it is technically not his first fiscal intervention.

01:21In June 2025, he tabled a mid-year budget review, the Finance Supplementary Appropriation Bill,

01:28which added approximately $3.1 billion to national expenditure.

01:33Now, the crunch is on.

01:35Once presented on October 30th, the budget must be debated and passed by October 31st

01:42to allow for the President's assent.

01:44This is necessary to ensure government operations can continue,

01:49including salary payments, project funding, and essential services.

01:54Under parliamentary procedure, the opposition leader is entitled to respond

01:57three days after the presentation, making Friday, October 17th the likely date for her reply.

02:05With the Diwali holiday falling during the debate period,

02:08Parliament will have just nine weekdays to complete the debate in both houses

02:13and secure the President's assent.

02:16While Parliament typically does not meet on weekends,

02:19urgent circumstances could warrant additional sittings,

02:23effectively extending the window by four extra days if required.

02:27The original 2025 national budget presented by the PNM was set at $59.741 billion,

02:36with major allocations including health at $7.571 billion,

02:41education and training at $7.512 billion.

02:45However, with the UNC's mid-year revision, the total budget now stands at just under $63 billion.

02:53The expected deficit for the fiscal year is $9.67 billion.

02:59TV6 will bring you full coverage of the budget presentation on October 13th,

03:04as well as the ensuing debate.

03:06Arvishit Tawari, Rupinarayan, TV6 News.

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