Brace for higher taxes.

This was the warning issued by Tabaquite MP Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj on Wednesday night, as he stressed that the economy was being continuously mismanaged under the PNM administration and the population would eventually have to pay the price.

Maharaj also said the Government must ensure the entire Urban Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) board, chaired by Calder Hart, steps down to prove to the people no more money would be wasted.

He expressed his concern over the various tax increases, as he made his contribution to the Provisional Taxes Order.

’This is a serious matter. I have great objections on principle for the people of this country to have a tax imposed upon them ... when it has shown that the economy has been mismanaged in the boom time,’ Maharaj said.

He said his constituents and people throughout the country would ask why they should pay increased taxes when there was wanton waste and corruption.

Maharaj referred to the Legal Affairs Towers and the Chancery Lane projects, which former Government Minister Dr Keith Rowley said some $100 million was wasted on because of corrupt practices in the contracts.

’Mr Calder Hart has to step down. You cannot have these allegations, have the evidence and you are going to ask the taxpayers to fund a measure for the money to go into the consolidated fund for you to take it and pay UDeCOTT. On principle that cannot be supported ... what this Government is doing is a combination of stupidity, rashness and madness,’ Maharaj said.

Maharaj said he does not think there would be change in Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s governance.

He pointed out that although Government has assured that there are savings in various funds, that would run out in 11 months and things would get worse.

’People are going to be asked to pay more and more taxes. Our position today is that we should not have had to pay taxes. Government today should have been reducing taxes,’ he said.

’If Government has listened ... they would have caused the economy to be so managed that there would have been no taxes to pay,’ he said.