Seventy-two-year-old gardener Samuel Baptiste starts his mornings before sunrise, tending to a handful of chive and tomato plants in the small backyard of his Diego Martin home. The produce helps stretch his monthly budget, but he says it is no longer enough.
Between rising grocery prices, utility bills and medication costs, the Senior Citizens Grant he relies on disappears quickly.
“I have to watch every dollar,” Baptiste said told the Sunday Business Guardian noting, “Once I buy medicine and food, there isn’t much left.”
His struggle is shared by many elderly citizens across T&T and is fuelling renewed calls for the government to increase the grant ahead of the upcoming budget.
At age 65, a citizen can receive a monthly pension of $3,500 from the State once the applicant’s monthly income does not exceed TT$5,500 per month.
Pensioners’ advocates argue that years of rising living costs have steadily eroded the value of the non-contributory pension, leaving many seniors struggling to meet basic expenses.
The support programme for senior citizens is officially known as the Senior Citizens Grant (commonly referred to as the senior citizens pension or old age pension), administered by the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services. The issue has reignited debate over whether the Government should raise the grant at a time when the country continues to face fiscal pressures.
Among those weighing in are T&T Association of Retired Persons (TTARP) first vice-president Reynold Cooper and economists Dr Ralph Henry and Dr Ronald Ramkissoon, who have offered differing views on how policymakers should balance support for vulnerable citizens with the realities of the country’s finances.
Highlighting the severe burden faced by senior citizens, Cooper stated that an upward adjustment in the $3,500 monthly grant is long overdue.
Cooper, a former head of the public service, emphasised that ongoing inflation and rising prices for basic goods have severely diminished the ability of pensioners to make ends meet, particularly as trade unions pursue 10 per cent wage adjustments in parallel negotiations across other sectors.
“I think that there should be time now for consideration and an increase in the pension,” Cooper affirmed, calling on the Ministry of Finance to conduct the necessary research to buffer senior citizens against cost-of-living increases.
While declining to propose a fixed statutory sum without formal financial modelling, Cooper indicated that any proposed increase should at a minimum match prevailing inflation rates.
“If I give a figure, I’ll be guessing,” Cooper explained. “What I would like the Government to do is cover at least inflation increases. Food prices have been going up and other things are going up. Let’s say the inflation is three per cent or four per cent If it (the gant) could increase at least five per cent but it could be a little bit more. Five per cent of 3,500, is about $150... Even though they increase it, I say a minimum of what the inflation rate is, it shouldn’t go below that. “
Cooper noted that TTARP, which currently represents over 40,000 members and is actively expanding toward a target of 50,000, routinely receives feedback from elderly citizens who find the $3,500 insufficient to cover food, rent, and medical supplies.
In response, the association frequently coordinates with corporate sponsors to distribute emergency food hampers and relief packages directly to impoverished pensioners who are struggling to survive on social assistance alone.
Clarifying the fundamental framework of national social safety nets, Caribbean economist Henry distinguished between the National Insurance System (NIS) and the old-age pension.
The NIS operates as a contributory, payroll-funded social security scheme powered by joint employer and employee payments.
Built on a solidarity principle, the NIS relies on a continuous workforce to sustain disbursements to retirees.
However, changing demographic trends—marked by declining birth rates and an ageing population—have shifted the country’s population structure into an egg-shaped profile, putting long-term pressure on contributory funds.
In contrast, the old-age pension functions strictly as non-contributory social assistance, carrying a lineage that traces back to the 1930s. It was first introduced in T&T on July 1, 1939, under the Old Age Pensions Ordinance (No 15 of 1939) passed by the Legislative Council.
Designed as a safety net, it guarantees basic support for senior citizens who may have never worked in the formal economy or contributed to the NIS—particularly elderly women who spent their lives performing unpaid domestic labour—ensuring they do not fall into extreme poverty or indigence.
The primary economic argument for an upward adjustment in the grant stems from the steady erosion of real purchasing power among citizens living on fixed monthly incomes.
While official headline inflation figures have appeared moderate on paper, cumulative price increases across essential goods, imported food items, pharmaceuticals and housing over recent years have significantly degraded the living standards of senior citizens.
Henry pointed out that global geopolitical developments and supply chain shocks—such as military conflicts disrupting international wheat, flour, and energy markets—directly inflate domestic consumer prices in small, import-dependent economies. Because imported food staples and daily necessities now command higher retail prices, the real purchasing power of fixed monthly disbursements has diminished.
Consequently, prioritising enhanced support for vulnerable seniors in the national budget represents a crucial social priority.
Echoing these concerns, Ramkissoon acknowledged the daily financial realities facing elderly citizens.
He noted that the central issue is not whether an increase is desirable, but how to address the fact that persons on fixed incomes have endured steady price increases over the last four to five years. Although inflation rates appear low in statistical reports, cumulative price hikes mean real income has fallen substantially. As a result, pensioners can purchase far fewer basic goods and services with the standard $3,500 monthly grant than they could a few years ago.
Despite acknowledging the social necessity of aiding seniors, Ramkissoon cautioned that fiscal realities complicate the issue.
State revenues have experienced prolonged weakness, characterised by sluggish GDP growth, fluctuating energy receipts, and mounting public expenditure demands.
With national budgets consistently operating in negative territory, the Minister of Finance faces tight expenditure limits. Broad, across-the-board increases in non-contributory social transfers risk expanding the fiscal deficit and exacerbating debt levels.
Ramkissoon emphasised that as an economist and senior citizen himself, he supports assisting older citizens, but policy must remain realistic about State revenue constraints.
In an economic environment marked by slow growth and job losses, State spending expansion must be approached with extreme caution, he argues.
To reconcile these competing pressures, Ramkissoon suggested that if the Government acts, social policy should move away from universal, across-the-board pension increases and toward targeted assistance.
Directing financial adjustments or supplemental support specifically to lower-income recipients ensures that assistance reaches the most destitute elderly citizens without overextending public finances. At the same time, Ramkissoon noted that senior citizens must carefully evaluate household budgets and adjust spending habits to navigate lingering inflationary pressures.
As fiscal planning continues ahead of the national budget, policymakers face the delicate challenge of preserving social welfare and dignity for the elderly while maintaining macroeconomic stability.
