Freelance Correspondent
Supermarket Association of T&T (SATT) president Rajiv Diptee says his members are all tax-compliant. However, he said there are delinquent taxpayers in all sectors of the country.
He made the comment in the wake of news recently that businessmen Anthony “Chinese Laundry” Chow Lin On and Derek Chin were owing taxes in the millions of dollars to the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR).
“We urge all our members to be compliant,” Diptee said at the launch of the Better Deal Supermarket branch at Dyette Street, Cunupia, Chaguanas.
He said SATT was willing to work with the authorities to streamline the system of tax collection and was also willing to provide members with financial and legal advice when needed.
However, Diptee said, the collection of financial data by the authorities was causing worry among SATT members and the public.
“More needs to come out of the Ministry of Finance. I get a lot of phone calls from people who still do not understand the processes as they should.
“However, I think the levels of taxation should be commensurate with the level of performance we have come to expect from the taxes that we pay.”
It was reported recently that MovieTowne owner Chin, owes the BIR $93 million, while Chow Lin On, who owns the T&T Radio Network (TTRN), owes $34m in unpaid taxes and penalties. Both men are reportedly working out payment plans.
Diptee also said with crime on the rise, security is the top cost in the industry, as supermarket owners have to invest in manpower and technology to keep crime at bay.
Meanwhile, Better Deal managing director Heeranand Maharaj said his organisation had received numerous calls to open a branch in Central Trinidad. He said more branches were coming to different parts of T&T.
Maharaj said he could not disclose the cost of setting up the Cunupia branch but said the supermarket business depended on high-volume sales to keep its operational costs down.
