- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 05/Jul 04:35

Where’s money coming from

THE EDITOR: After Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s historic victory and the ensuing celebrations of which I was a part, I pointed in a follow-up letter entitled “Goodwill today, harsh reality tomorrow” (Newsday) to the grim reality that would follow. So said, so done. Everywhere, inside government and out, the talk is about the huge deficit uncovered, $9 billion plus, and how it will negatively affect the running of the country. However, the promise from the government is that a way will be found – indeed it has already been found according to one source – to meet the demand of the recurring expenditure to come. But the critical question to ask is, “Where is the money coming from?” Certainly not from any existing revenue stream, for not only is the Dragon declared dead, but Point Lisas is stuttering for want of gas and the promise of a resuscitated Pointe-a-Pierre refinery is still virtually a dream. And with our traditional reliance on “oil and gas” which is now in abeyance, all else would have been allowed to go down the drain, with agriculture never acquiring viable commercial status, and small and cottage industries never incentivised to be revenue-producing at the national level. The energy is there for future development with grandiose plans in the offing, but what of the present with all the promises to be fulfilled and a country to run, even as the nation waits. And you can’t tax the people directly or indirectly for the acknowledgement has been that this is a government for the poor and needy and taxing them through VAT, higher interest rates et al would be the supreme contradiction. And you can’t borrow, for this will only exacerbate the deficit, making us lose status in the eyes of international lending agencies. Where, then, will the money come from? The answer is relatively simple in my humble opinion: recover it from those who stole it, or mismanaged it, or used corrupt means to acquire it. The “rah rah” in Parliament about who “tief” and who didn’t is blowing in the wind unless you implement a forensic system to investigate those who stole or misused the people’s money, and haul them before the courts and make them pay in more ways than one. Then using the recovered funds as a foothold to deal with recurrent expenditure until other measures are implemented. In this effort, first and foremost is the recovery of funds missing from a previous fiscal report, and secondly, to legislate to cancel the huge increase in benefits that former politicians would have been awarded which could be just the beginning of a wider recovery process across the board, DOGE style possibly. The government cannot simply scream at corrupt politicians and feel sorry for itself. It is the only practical way to begin to equip itself with the means to fulfil the many promises made on the platform and, by extension, to govern the country. The alternative is for a so far gracious and supportive people becoming human and losing their patience. DR ERROL N BENJAMIN via e-mail The post Where’s money coming from appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.