The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) has received the highest budgetary allocation in its 44-year history, following the presentation of the 2026 National Budget by Minister of Finance, Davendranath Tancoo.
For the first time since the establishment of the THA in 1980, Tobago's allocation reached an unprecedented 5% of the National Budget. More in this Elizabeth Williams report.
00:00I am proud and happy to announce that in this fiscal year, I have been directed by my Prime Minister to allocate $2.96 billion to the Tobago House of Accounts, which represents a full 5% of the national budget.
00:19According to the THA, this historic allocation marks a significant step towards fairer and more equitable treatment of the island within the unitary state of Trinidad and Tobago. Additional benefits for Tobago were announced.
00:35That is not all. In addition, a further $763 million will be spent by various ministries on Tobago.
00:46Since the Parliament adopted the Dispute Resolution Commission's DRC recommendation in 2001, Tobago's allocations have consistently been positioned at the lowest end of the recommended range of 4.03% to 4.37%.
01:06Well below the DRC's advised band of 4.03% to 6.9%.
01:14In total, then, the allocation to Tobago for the fiscal year 2026 will be $3.72 billion, which equates to 6.3% of the national budget.
01:31Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, when UNC wins, Tobago wins!
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