- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Hier 03:35

Des Vignes: Mid-year rant shows UNC proud of ignorance

DIEGO Martin West MP Hans des Vignes accused government MPs of offering very little in terms of concrete proposals for the economy and in turn being proud of their ignorance, speaking on the Mid-Year Review on June 23 in the House of Representatives. He said while the IMF has praised TT for its sustained economic after the covid19 pandemic, by contrast the UNC has claimed the former government has taken the country to the brink of economic ruin. Des Vignes said what the government was describing as "arrears" left by the former administration were in fact simply a payment schedule. He accused the government of now having ballooned the country's total deficit to date to $9.67 billion. Des Vignes said this was the largest deficit inclusive of the Mid-Year Review in years, yet the government had no plan to fund it. "There is no financing framework, no revenue strategy, just noise." He recalled Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles had said the PNM has governed by guiding documents such as Vision 2030, and asked what was the UNC's plan and guiding strategy? "You ask them and they have none. "The member for Caroni Central (David Lee) said, 'We attract money!' I don't understand that." Saying the government had repeatedly promised to provide its mid-year specifics in due course, he quipped, "'Due course' has come and there are no answers." Echoing Beckles' statement that the honeymoon was over, Des Vignes said voters now deserved more than empty slogans. He chided, "It was not a Mid-Year Review but a mid-year rant, with no fiscal framework, no macro forecast and no financial logic." He questioned the government's proposed forex committee. "All we are getting is a bunch of lip service, no concrete specifics." Des Vignes questioned the government. "It is not just that they lack a strategy, but they seem proud of their ignorance." He said while MPs were present to debate a $3.1 billion supplementation to the national budget, they must not forget the $10 billion the proposed Revenue Authority (TTRA) could have collected. He cited several organisations that had supported the TTRA, including a PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and a chamber of commerce. "I say to the government, the time for slogans is over. We need substance. Let us put people first." The post Des Vignes: Mid-year rant shows UNC proud of ignorance appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.