Chairman of the Tobago Division of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Curtis Williams, welcomed a key change in the budget allocation formula for Tobago, describing it as a positive step toward ensuring the island receives a fairer share of national funding.
“We welcome the initiative of the government of moving the funds through the Tobago House of Assembly and the additional investment coming through the various Ministries. However it is critical that these resources are being used for fundamental things of development on the island.”
Mr. Williams identified those fundamental areas that need to be funded and developed.
He also called for accountability in the use of the budgetary allocation.
“Infrastructure, we talk about tourism, we need some major infrastructure in tourism and also treating with health. There are some issues that major capital investment in health that is needed on the island. So we see some of these initiatives being very good and we will actually want to plead to the Tobago House of Assembly to ensure that the money is being used in a very transparent way.”
Tobago received 5.48 per cent of the national budget allocation, amounting to nearly TT$3.5 billion, providing funding for a range of development programmes, public services and infrastructure projects on the island.