Who Won
Retired Public Servants
• &empmargin;Minimum interim $3,500 per month pension to public servants immediately upon retirement.
All Citizens
• &empmargin;Board of Inland Revenue to employ 150 more persons to deal with noncompliant persons.
• &empmargin;Health centres located in Grand Riviere, Blanchissuese and Cedros to open 24/7.
• &empmargin;Greater accountability and transparency through the use of public procurement legislation in the award and execution of Government contracts.
Children
• &empmargin;100 per cent increase in all fines related to the prevention of cruelty to children as detailed in the Children’s Act, 2012.
First-Time Home Buyers
• &empmargin;Stamp duty threshold for residential properties subject to stamp duty to be increased from $850,000 to $1.5m for first time homeowners.
Environment
• &empmargin;Increase in the fines for persons contributing to the start of bush fires from $1,500 to $5,000 100 per cent increase in all penalties under Litter Act 1973.
Government of the T&T
• &empmargin;Increased revenue collection from the planned implementation of property tax from 2019.
• &empmargin;Increase penalty/fine for the submission of incorrect information in TD- 1 Forms from $3,000 to $10,000.
• &empmargin;Increase in the threshold for selfemployed individuals subject to Business Levy from $200,000 to $360,000.
• &empmargin;Increase in the penalty for offences in respect of fraud from $50,000 to $250,000
• &empmargin;The rate of interest for late payments of taxes to be increased from 15 per cent to 20 per cent per annum under the Registration of Clubs Act, 1955.
Differently abled Citizens
• &empmargin;Differently abled and special needs children under the age 18 to access increased Disability Grant as follows:
• Increase from $800 to $1,500
• Increase from $1,150 to $1,500
Recipients 18 years or older to access Disability Grant as follows:
• Increase from $1,800 to $2,000
Low Income Families
• &empmargin;Increase in the value of food cards as follows:
• &empmargin;Household of 1-3 persons, from $410 to $510 per month
• &empmargin;Households of 4-5 persons, from $550 to $650 per month
• &empmargin;Households of 6 or more persons, from $700 to $800 per month.
• &empmargin;The Public Assistance Grant to be increased by $150 across the board as follows:
• for 1 person from $1150 to $1,300
• for 2 persons from $1400 to $1,550
• for 3 persons from $1600 to $1,750
• &empmargin;for 4 or more persons from $1,750 to $1,900
Senior citizens
• &empmargin;Increase in the cap on joint incomes received by retirees in respect of national insurance and old age pension to $6,000. Allowing persons in receipt of both a National Insurance Scheme pension and
• &empmargin;A Senior Citizens’ Pension to receive $3,000 a month from the NIS and up to a further $3,000 per month in the Senior Citizens’ Pension.
Tertiary level Students
• &empmargin;Tax allowance for foreign tertiary education expenses to be increased from $60,000 to $72,000 per year.
Manufacturers
• &empmargin;Introduction of an incremental foreign exchange earnings tax credit for manufacturers engaged in: agriculture and agro-processing; food and beverage; non-energy and nonpetrochemical products; and any other businesses approved by the Minister with the responsibility for Trade and Industry. Legislation to give effect to this measure to be introduced during fiscal year 2019.
Tobago
• &empmargin;The Government’s commitment to ensuring that the Sandals project is implemented.
• &empmargin;Proposed acquisition of new vessels to alleviate T&T seabridge issues.
Construction sector and Labourers in that sector
• &empmargin;A number of significant projects were announced including the Curepe interchange, the road projects and port projects.
Who Didn’t
Non Government Parties to LNG Train Contracts
• &empmargin;Government to renegotiate existing contractual and commercial arrangements of Liquefied National Gas Trains, to address tax leakage through transfer pricing.
All Citizens -Transportation
• &empmargin;Cost of super gasoline to be increased from $3.97/litre to $4.97/litre.
Criminals
• &empmargin;Crime Stoppers rewards to be increased to up to $100,000 for information leading to the successful conviction of any of the 25 most wanted criminals.
• &empmargin;Increased use of technology eg, use of drones, GPS, body cameras.
Self Employed
• &empmargin;Board of Inland Revenue staff to focus on the tax compliance of self-employed persons, including doctors, lawyers, accountants and other professionals as well as small- and medium-sized organisations.