Senior Political Reporter
Retirement benefits for members of the protective services are especially critical at this time, as these officers continue to shoulder the burden of a country under pressure without adequate resources and equipment, Finance Minister Dave Tancoo said yesterday.
“Crime has tested communities. Families have buried loved ones. Officers have been placed in tense, dangerous situations, and still they’re expected to act with courage, discipline and restraint. When we asked the people of Trinidad and Tobago for their support, we promised we would improve the lives of members of the protective services. Promise made, promise kept!” he said in Parliament.
He was piloting the debate on the Finance (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which was later passed.
The Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) abstained from voting.
Tancoo accused the PNM of attempting to “make mischief” with the legislation through misinformation and misdirection.
“They said the bill is about ‘tax and more tax.’ Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said.
“There are 31 clauses in the bill, and not a single new tax for citizens. The only new fiscal regime applies to drilling operation companies in marginal fields, which must now pay a share to taxpayers.”
He said other provisions offer tax relief for pensioners, simplify filing requirements, protect law-abiding citizens, and, in one instance, reduce existing gaming taxes.
Addressing benefits for officers in the protective services, Tancoo said the bill ensures that officers who acted in higher positions for between one and three continuous years immediately before retirement—or before proceeding on pre-retirement leave—will have their pensions, gratuities or allowances calculated as though they were substantively appointed to those posts.
“The Prime Minister has made this Government’s position clear: we support the men and women entrusted with the mandate to protect and serve,” Tancoo said, while criticising what he described as constraints and staff shortages under the PNM administration.
According to Tancoo, these conditions led to low morale, frustration within the ranks and emotional and psychological burnout.
“We inherited a Police Service understaffed by an estimated 1,400 officers. The Prison Service was severely understaffed, and the Fire Service short by more than 400 officers,” he said.
“The result was a system in which officers were repeatedly required to perform duties several levels above their substantive positions, without access to appropriate retirement benefits.”
He emphasised that protective services officers carry one of the heaviest responsibilities in the country.
“This Government will not treat protective services as political props. If an officer performed at a higher level, carried that responsibility and served at that level, the law must recognise it,” Tancoo said.
He also addressed what he described as Opposition misinformation about the Landlord Surcharge, clarifying that it applies only to individuals renting property, with a one-time registration fee of $2,500 per landlord, regardless of the number of rental units.
On the issue of gaming taxes—originally increased in the 2026 Budget—Tancoo said continued consultations with stakeholders led to revisions.
“A new clause reduces the gaming tax from $25,000 to $12,500 annually for amusement games, excluding electronic roulette devices. For roulette devices, the tax has been reduced to $120,000,” he said.
He said the maximum number of amusement games permitted at certain licensed premises would be increased from 20 to 33.
“Transitional provisions will apply for the period April 1 to June 30, 2026, and any excess tax already paid will be treated as an overpayment and refunded,” Tancoo noted.
Responding to criticism over increased fines across 14 areas, Tancoo said: “Amazingly, it is these fines for individuals and businesses breaking the law that have provoked the Opposition’s greatest outrage. But a fine is not a tax—it arises only when the law is broken.”
