The anger of Diego Martin West MP Dr Keith Rowley filled the Parliament Chamber yesterday as he slammed a move to increase property taxes, saying the people of this country are now being forced to pay for Government’s squaundermania which he tried in vain to prevent but was stopped by Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

Referring to the proposed three per cent property tax, Rowley charged:

’I tell you one thing, I am mad as hell about this. You know why?...Because I tried to prevent it...When I tried to prevent this I had my character called into question in this House and asked to account for money that was never missing. And that was done by the head of the Government, my Government. Mr Speaker, I have made no bones about the fact that I am PNM and I will remain PNM...I have no where to go.’

Last year, during the budget debate Rowley had raised concern publicly about the practices of UDeCOTT under the chairmanship of Calder Hart.

Manning, in response, said there was some $10 million missing from the Cleaver Heights housing project, and questioned the former Housing Minister where the money gone.

Rowley was fired from the Cabinet, in April last year, after he raised similar queries about another UDeCOTT project.

’We have to digest that in the context that the money done. We are now talking about raising revenue by taxation, churup, churup, household by household. Land and building taxes, cigarette taxes, rum taxes as revenue-raising measures,’ said Rowley.

Noting that pensioners who own property in Diego Martin and Woodbrook and people who are striving to make ends meet will have to pay increased taxes, Rowley roared, ’We are now called upon to pay from our pockets for the fun and games that was had by others.’

Rowley, speaking on the ongoing budget debate at the Parliament, outlined a number of million and billion- dollar mega projects which were exorbitantly over budget.

He said he knows what were the problems at UDeCOTT but questioned what were the problems at State- owned Petrotrin where projects were draining financial resources.

Quoting from budget documents, Rowley pointed out that a programme of projects at this company increased from $3.3 billion to $9.3 billion.

Rowley further revealed how Government wasted money to the tune of some $100 million in the Legal Affairs Tower and Chancery Lane projects.

He said a $368 million contract was given to a contractor even through another contractor bid $60 million less.

During the Uff Commission of Enquiry it was revealed that this same contractor allegedly had family ties to UDeCOTT chairman.

Rowley added that the contractor who was rejected in the Legal Affairs Tower project was awarded the Chancery Lane project, where he bid $45 million more than others. He said this project is now $181 million more than the original estimate of $477 million.

Rowley also noted the expenditure at the Academy for Performing Arts in Port of Spain was over-budged. He said Manning misled the House when he said the project cost some US$60 million.

He said this ’galvanise mausoleum’, according to documents submitted in the Uff enquiry, cost $441 million with a projected completion of $468 million.

Asserting that silence was not an option for him, he thundered, ’I can tell you without fear of contradiction every statement about these projects being within budget and within time, every one is a wrong statement.’

Rowley stressed the need for Government to review its priorities and put the needs of the people first. He said in his own constituency people are without water, schools and a sporting centre that has long been promised.

’It is my view because of the general circumstances, international and local, 2010 will be a difficult year for the people of Trinidad and Tobago. It will be a difficult year for the Government...I don’t think we should be fooling ourselves. We are not alone on this planet we are in difficult times but before you can agree to take medicine you have to agree that you are sick and if you keep saying that I am not sick then you won’t take the medicine that is required,’ said Rowley.