TOBAGO House of Assembly Chief Secretary Farley Augustine is calling on Finance Minister Colm Imbert to allocate Tobago 5.8% of the national budget, when he presents the 2025 fiscal package on Monday.
“I came to the conclusion that this House needed to assemble before the national budget and to essentially call on the Minister of Finance to allocate to the THA no less than 5.8% of the national budget to meet Tobago’s urgent developmental priorities and to address historical underfunding of Tobago so that we are able to grow at a pace that is equitable and equal rather to our friends and family in Trinidad,” Augustine said yesterday.
The Chief Secretary spoke during the plenary sitting on Thursday on a motion to treat with Monday’s national budget specific to Tobago, Augustine called on Imbert to be reasonable and fair to Tobago.
“In effect, the motion calls on the Minister of Finance to allocate a reasonable fair and just share of the national budget to the Tobago House of Assembly or rather the people of Tobago and the question for every member present is whether or not you will agree that what has been allocated over the years, those were unfair and unreasonable and whether the Central Government should be more reasonable in its allocation to Tobago,” Augustine said.
Augustine has this message for the finance minister: “We currently do not need any new bill anywhere in the Parliament to get 6.9% or to get the median of 5.5%, the minister of finance can give it on Monday morning when he reads the budget and this House demands that he gives it on Monday morning when he reads the budget.”
Finance Minister Colm Imbert, when asked to comment on the request made by the Chief Secretary, said yesterday in a text message to the Express:
“We are very fair and equitable, and he knows that. The THA under his administration and Orville London’s administration have also collectively and individually received far more, both in percentage terms and in actual amounts, under this administration than they received under the former UNC administration. He knows that too.”