Tag Archives: economy

“[…] For many decades, T&T’s highly productive energy sector funded disproportionately high standards of living in its non-energy sectors, including the public service. However, production in the energy sector has been in decline since 2010, masked temporarily by extraordinary recent increases in energy prices.  “[…] In such difficult circumstances, governments …

Two Fridays ago, I visited my neighbourhood’s favourite food store. I had gone to pick up one item. I saw an older man being helped by a woman as I entered the aisle.  Nothing appeared unusual, just a younger person helping an older one with his purchase. However, everything turned …

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has announced new measures geared to induce vaccination in the public sector, which his data showed has a low acceptance rate. Here are a few quick comments: Unlike 2020, when there was a general collapse in economic activity, the pace of recovery now will be …

The last 21 months have drained our nation’s emotional resources and injected paranoid feelings. Uncertainty and risk are now our constant companions.  We no longer have a clear vision of the future. We are exhausted. The constant quarrelling on every front has bewildered us, and we no longer appear to …

In 1930, The International Digest offered this quote: ‘A banker, it has been said jestingly, is a man who lends you an umbrella when the weather is good and takes it back when it rains. ‘It would be more correct to say that the banker, at the beginning of a …

‘Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.’ These words of Nelson Mandela should resonate as we approach our upcoming budget debate. A national budget is more than an economic forecast; it is a declaration about …

“[…] No, no—WASA should not and cannot be privatised! There are some entities which are what you call in economics, natural monopolies. For an economy like Trinidad and Tobago, the production of water is a natural monopoly and the state should do it. “[…] We are going to give WASA …

“[…] Non-energy revenues have fallen in 2020-2021 and for next fiscal, 2021-2022, it is going to be worse—partly because people pay taxes on the previous year’s numbers and partly because the recovery is going to be slower than expected because of the state of emergency and the impact of the …

Reading is dangerous; it can lead you to challenge things around you in unexpected but exciting ways. Or it can lead to a severe state of the blahs!  One expects those anointed by the mass media to use their time and space to provide insights, moving their readers to actions …

Most politicians will only present information to the public in a form that is perceived to be politically advantageous. When confronted with the reality of adverse events, denials or attempts, the first reaction is to trivialise reality—and sometimes in an obnoxious manner. We have the added disadvantage of the poisonous …

“[…] This decision [to reduce salaries by 33.3%], while contentious, directly protects the welfare of workers as that is the Company’s main priority at this time. This measure will ensure that there is no job loss at CEPEP…” The following press statement on CEPEP’s decision to reduce the salary of …

I’m old enough to remember the global economic recession of the 1980s and Lord Relator’s hit calypso ‘Food Prices’—which highlighted the ridiculous prices. Trinbagonians, have you noticed that food and consumer prices have risen astronomically? The cost of living has spiralled dramatically since the onset of Covid-19 due mainly to the …