Remove VAT on local food production: UNC Leader 

Trinidad and Tobago: UNC Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar urges the Government to remove VAT & More Investment in Local Food Production.

Member of parliament, UNC Party Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar, urge to remove VAT on food articles, and this information was taken from her official account on Facebook.

UNC Leader declared, “Government Must Take Immediate Steps to Prevent A Possible Food Crisis: Removal of VAT & More Investment in Local Food Production, Growing prices of food have always been a significant problem under this PNM Government but with one influential food distributor warning that if the Forex woes proceed, there will be an expected 35% price hike for all foods quickly. This is a tragedy anticipating to happen, and the longer the Government of Trinidad and Tobago sits on their hands and overlook this looming crisis, the deeper the hole becomes.”

UNC Leader added, “With this looming food crisis, the Government has yet to state any new projects that aim to address this problem directly. Everyday citizens continue to complain about the raised prices of basic food items at the supermarket while the administration sits on their hands and does nothing about it.”

She also reminded that While she served as Prime Minister, she recognized that keeping food prices at a gentle level was one of her Government’s essential tasks. As an outcome, she mandated that the basket of goods that are VAT excluded be extended to include over 6000 food items. This helped immensely in the decrease of the price at the stand for members of the public.

This PNM government decreased the VAT from 15% to 12.5%, but at the same time, they reduced the number of items that were once released from the tax. 

UNC Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar added, “I am again calling on the administration to increase the list of basket items that are spared from VAT to include more food items in the short term. In the long term, the Government must place more purchase, beyond the usual lip service in our domestic food production volume to stop a possible food crisis.”

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