Kamla to reply to Imbert’s budget today

Senior Politicial Reporter

For the people who have been “abandoned” by the People’s National Movement (PNM).

That’s how Opposition United National Congress (UNC) officials have described the reply that Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar will deliver today to Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s 2025 Budget.

Persad-Bissessar will speak from 10 am. She has equal speaking time as Imbert had on Monday, when he delivered his 178-page budget speech in five hours and 11 minutes.

In an immediate response on Monday, Persad-Bissessar had labelled the budget “a multi-hour eulogy for the PNM Government’s decade of destruction…a ten-year legacy of banditry, broken promises and betrayal.”

UNC officials said in the current election year and this being the PNM Government’s final budget for the term, Persad-Bissessar’s full-length reply will deliver a package highly focused on plans for the country and public which a UNC government would favour. She had done the same in 2019 ahead of the 2020 general election.

Persad-Bissessar, as head of a government in waiting—as the UNC describes itself—is expected to deliver plans that will give heavy insight into her party’s election manifesto.

Apart from her pronouncements on the $59.8 billion budget, Persad-Bissessar, who has repeatedly said that the Government is “broke,” is expected to critique Imbert’s assessment of the economy and financial management. She will dissect the initiatives he also announced and offer UNC’s alternatives.

She’s expected to focus heavily on what Imbert on Monday admitted was the “one area of greatest intransigent difficulty that remains” and continues to resist the Government’s best efforts—crime.

Persad-Bissessar’s mantra since last year’s Budget has been that there is no prosperity without security.

$B cut in Wasa personnel funding; corporations getting property tax

In continuing Budget debate, Opposition speakers are also expected to talk about the $182,984,745 cut in WASA’s personnel expenditure allocation for 2025.

This is indicated in the Draft Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for Statutory Boards and similar bodies report. This was among Budget 2025 documents presented in Parliament on Monday.

The summary for WASA’s personnel expenditure gave the estimate for 2024 as $3.5 billion. The estimate for 2025 is $3.3 billion. Salaries, wages, allowances and overtime levels are all lower for 2025 than 2024.

The report also confirmed that the 14 regional corporations will all receive property tax sums out of the $125 million in property tax to be collected by the Government in 2025.

For 2025, the Local Government Ministry will be decreasing transfers to nine of the 14 regional corporations—PoS, San Fernando, Arima, Mayaro, Tunapuna/Piarco, San Juan/Laventille, Diego Martin and Penal/Debe.

San Juan/Laventille got the largest cut —by $4,030,000—from $178.7 million for 2024 to $174.7 million in 2025.

The ministry will also increase transfers to five corporations—Point Fortin, Chaguanas, Sangre Grande, Siparia and Princes Town. Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo’s allocation remains the same.

All corporations will also receive reduced 2025 development funding, ranging from a maximum of $5 million less to $1 million less.

Among the property tax amounts to be allocated to corporations in 2025, Chaguanas and Diego Martin corporations will get the largest – $11.5 million each.

Arima, Point Fortin, Sangre Grande, Mayaro, Siparia and Princes Town corporations will get the lowest—$7.150 million each. The report listed property tax sums for the following: PoS ($7.2m); San Fernando ($9.8m); Arima ($7.1m); Point Fortin ($7.1m); Chaguanas ($11.5m); Diego Martin $11.5m); San Juan/Laventille ($9.8m); Tunapuna/Piarco $11.1m); Sangre Grande ($7.150m) Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo ($11.2m); Mayaro- Rio Claro ($7.150m), Siparia ($7.150m); Penal/Debe ($9.8m); Princes Town ($7.150m).

Allocations for the operation of district offices for councillors remain the same respectively as the allocations for 2024. There had been issues with rental payments in the past in some UNC-controlled corporations.

The post Kamla to reply to Imbert’s budget today first appeared on CNC3.