So we at SCORCH eh no political analysts or finance gurus, but we pay our taxes just like everybody else so we felt we could weigh in on the election goodies Tanty Kams and Uncle Larry had for us. We might be a little late to the party, but we’ll give yuh our two cents anyway:
PUMP: New things we like
South Quay/City Gate flood alleviation programme
“’When it rain, Port-of-Spain in pain, ‘dem drain under strain, so is flood again. My friends, money eh no problem.” Lord Shorty sang these words 36 years ago and since then, nuthin’ change. However, the government has announced a new initiative aimed at clearing the drain system in southern Port-of-Spain to end this problem. That way yuh new pair of Aldo’s wouldn’t get soak crossing South Quay and you eh go get ringworm waiting for a maxi on Platform 2.
Tax exemptions on hybrid cars
With the gas subsidy averaging a whopping $2b per year, it’s draining income like a high-maintenance girlfriend (and yuh kno dey cyah raise gas this year). The tax incentive on electric and hybrid vehicles could help curb this, whilst sparing the environment from a set of exhaust fumes it already getting from regular cars.
Establishing of Motor Vehicle Authority
The only line longer than the one in the Licensing Office is the one in KFC Independence Square on Ash Wednesday. With the establishment of a Motor Vehicle Authority (in Caroni?) and 13 access offices, we hope those days of taking a whole day off just to renew your licence or transfer a vehicle will be over.
Minimum wage & pension increase
As Shadow put it, poverty is hell, but how yuh planning to survive if yuh too old to work? Remember the days when yuh could get a good lunch for $20, see a movie for $10?
The cost of living has gone up tremendously over the years and even those performing the most basic of jobs should be remunerated with the effects of inflation in mind. Although, I find it coulda be a little more eh..
Consideration of alternative route to Chaguanas
The East have the bus route, South get a water taxi, Diego get a new highway… is only Central getting leave out. Chaguanas is our fastest growing city and its infrastructure needs to keep up. Imagine dey get a Chuck E. Cheese before a new highway or main road.
RINSE: Things dey need to come again with
$500 baby care grant
Now doh get us wrong, helping the needy is all well and good, especially those with children, but… really? For starters, how do we know that extra money won’t be used to get mani/pedi and a new lace front ? Our suggestion? How about supermarket vouchers redeemable for certain items
$300 increase in disability grant
Like the baby care grant, we get the point of the financial aid, but again, this seems like a somewhat lazy solution. While the extra cash is necessary, upgrading our infrastructures to facilitate the differently-abled population should have also been a priority.
$1m estate payout for law enforcement officers
Why not spend money to upgrade and computerize police stations? It is a shame that in 2014 officers still have to look through a big notebook to find & make a report when quick computer could save so much time and effort. Is it that they ‘fraid the PC and Corporal go be checking Facebook while on d’ clock?
REPEAT: Things we’ve seen before that need improving/changing
$1bn for coastal interceptors and patrol boats
Sooooooooooooooo they sell all the Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) at a fraction of the cost they were purchased by the previous gov’t, and then… plan to spend A BILLION DOLLARS to buy more of them?!?! Ok.
CEPEP
Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, you feed him for life. Yea, CEPEP solves the unemployment problem in the short-term but it has created a dependency culture that prevents long-term growth and development. The government should aim to train and develop those enrolled in the programme so that after a period of say 2 years, they can progress to regular employment.
GATE programme
Just like CEPEP, this programme is being abused at the expense of the Treasury. However, the government has promised to “strengthen the quality of the system” via the “soon-to-be-introduced National Qualifications and Credit Framework” (whatever that is).
So before we get cuss, we know we deliberately avoided the fact that with oil prices at a record high of over $100 per barrel, we were presented with a deficit budget of $6.3 billion dollars and that we barely skimmed the surface on the entire 2014 budget. We just humbly asking Madame Prime Minister, stop de damn corruption and actually follow through with what yuh claim yuh gonna do this time nuh!
