Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Secretary of Finance Petal-Ann Roberts says the THA will use its development budget to implement The 44 in 44 Initiative in commemoration of 44 years of the THA’s existence.
She said the island’s development expenditure would be used to focus on 44 projects in various sectors, initiating and completing construction projects, programmes, tourist attractions, giving loans and grants, and purchasing medical equipment.
“These 44 projects, diverse in scope and ambition, are testaments to our unwavering dedication to improving the lives of every Tobagonian.
“The initiatives are not just words and numbers on a page, but they represent the steadfast commitment of this administration to addressing the island's critical infrastructure needs, improving the public-service delivery and creating an ecosystem for businesses to thrive, and for our economy to grow, develop and transform.”
She was speaking at the 35th plenary sitting on November 28, during the debate of the motion: That this House calls on the Minister of Finance to allocate funds to the THA in keeping with approved Parliamentary appropriations and consistent with the prescriptions of the THA Act 40 1996.
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The motion was carried.
In her presentation of the THA’s re-prioritised budget for fiscal 2025, Roberts said the THA projected its expenditure as $2.08 billion for recurrent expenditure, $380 million for capital or development expenditure, $78 million for the Unemployment Relief Programme, $32 million for the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme and $170 million in the contingency reserve.
The Division of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development will be allocated $63 million; The Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation will get $15 million; The Division of Education, Research and Technology – $8.6 million; The Division of Community Development, Youth Development And Sport – $40.3 million; The Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Development – $87.1 million; The Division of Health, Wellness and Social Protection – $36.5 million; The Division of Settlement, Public Utilities and Urban Development – $10.2 million; The Office of the Chief Secretary – over $12 million; and $31.3 million for The Division of Finance.
Projects included construction of a food hub in Mason Hall at a cost of $16 million; upgrading the infrastructure and facilities at Store Bay and Pigeon Point beaches; the construction of a Courland childcare and education facility costing $8 million; building the Friendship Connector Road at $32 million; buying an MRI and CT scanner for $10 million; and establishing a loan guarantee programme to support Tobago SMEs at a cost of $25 million.
Roberts said Tobago had significant socio-economic development needs.
The THA requested $3.956 billion but was allocated $2.608 billion, about 4.37 per cent of the national budget, which she described as unreasonable and insufficient to significantly transform Tobago’s economy.
She said the national account data from 2023 said the island’s per capita GDP was less than US$4,000, while the national figure was US$14,000. She also said between 2000 – 2024, the recurrent allocation shortfalls averaged 27 per cent and the development shortfall was about 80 per cent.
“The relatively low GDP in Tobago can be attributed primarily to the historical underfunding of the island's development budget.”
She said in 2000 when the Dispute Resolution Commission made its ruling, Tobago’s population was about 4.03 per cent of the national population. She said the population was about 5.1 per cent by 2022. Now, she said, Tobago’s allocation should not be less than five per cent.
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Minority Leader: Stop making excuses
After her presentation, Minority Leader Kelvon Morris said Roberts presented excuses rather than solutions and the administration had no vision for progress.
He accused the administration of “killing the economy” in Tobago by blacklisting Tobago contractors in favour of Trinidad financiers. He urged Chief Secretary Farley Augustine to recall the contract for one contractor from Trinidad who received a $186 million building contract after not completing a $25 million roadworks contract.
Morris also said the health sector was failing under the administration and said affairs were being mismanaged.
Duke: Unrealistic agri plan
Progressive Democratic Patriots political leader Watson Duke said the members of the administration did not seem to understand the difference between autonomy and self-determination.
He also believed some of the agricultural plans, such as the mega-farming project, were unrealistic and criticised them for “abandoning” several construction projects and having much fewer visitors and cruise calls than previous years and compared to Barbados.
Augustine knocked the men for their statements, pointing out the financial difficulties and misinformation.
Among other issues, he said the THA had to pay airlines, even Caribbean Airlines, to fly directly to Tobago; Udecott’s abandoned several projects in Tobago and recently handed them over after a lengthy legal process; and Barbados’s marketing budget was US$40 million while Tobago’s was TT$1 million.
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