00:00Minister in the Finance Ministry, Kennedy Swartzing, opened the debate on the finance bill in the Senate,
00:07insisting the measures must be viewed against economic conditions the government met on entering office.
00:12A deep structural imbalance that trapped our economy in low growth,
00:18a weakened revenue administration system, rising debt and an empty treasury,
00:24institutions in decay and thousands of citizens suffering from economic hardship, unemployment and diminished public services.
00:33Leading the batting for the opposition bench, Dr. Amory Brown immediately criticized the government's management of the economy.
00:40It is a credit to the PNM that this country has survived thus far eight months of UNC incompetence in managing the economy.
00:54Brown urged that instead of advancing measures outlined in the 2026 budget,
00:59the bill introduces new policies never previously signaled.
01:03Very interestingly, this bill also introduces some brand new measures that were not outlined or even foreshadowed in the budget for 2026.
01:16They were not referenced in the budget statement.
01:18He accused the government of hypocrisy and of targeting ordinary citizens.
01:23Many of these new measures introduced in this finance bill are designed to punish the ordinary people of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. President,
01:34in the form of what can only be described as a tax attack on the people of this country.
01:43As an example, he said the proposed landlord tax is simply a rebranded property tax that would disproportionately affect low-income earners.
01:52The owner of a mansion in Valtaine or Westmoorings or any other prominent neighborhood,
02:03he pays not a cent in property tax, but granny and grandpa who are renting out a little house or room on their property
02:14now has to pay this relabeled property tax as a surcharge.
02:19Mr. President, nothing could be more unfair than that.
02:24Independent Senator Francis Lewis acknowledged government's intent to strengthen the Board of Inland Revenue,
02:30but warned that deeper organizational issues remain untouched.
02:34The bill does not alter the structural complaints that limit the Board of Inland Revenue's effectiveness.
02:42The organization remains embedded, and please, when I say the organization remains embedded,
02:48I would need to separate the organization from people in the organization whom I'm sure I'm trying very hard,
02:55embedded in the traditional public service over which they have very little or no autonomy,
03:00particularly in the areas of recruitment, compensation and performance management.
03:04He cautioned that without proper enforcement, new taxes could backfire.
03:09The BR runs into a difficulty of not being able to enforce it,
03:15and so the result could be lower compliance, superficial revenue gains,
03:22and if it is not applied fairly, you're going to face, we are going to all face public resentment.
03:29Lewis also questioned the decision to add the finance ministry's permanent secretary
03:33to the Board, citing the sensitivity of the information the Board handles.
03:38I am somewhat uncomfortable with Ministry of Finance people being on the boards.
03:44There is an old phrase, you cannot hunt with the hares, sorry, you cannot run with the hares and hunt with the hounds.
03:52You're putting our very good public servants in a somewhat individuous position of being Ministry of Finance,
04:02that has its role and responsibility, and the Board of Inland Revenue, that has a different role and responsibility,
04:06and saying, okay, manage.
04:08That feels, it doesn't feel right.
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