Meet Swallay Mohammed (Part 2)

On checking the Miscella-neous Taxes Act of 2007 I learned that the Minister is the one to make appointments to the Committee, which shall comprise of not less than five and not more than nine members “selected from among persons with experience and relevant qualifications in the areas of finance, environmental management, the law, forestry and shall have demonstrated an interest in matters pertaining to the remediation, reforestation and conservation of the environment.”

I reminded Mr Mohammed that the very day the levy was announced in Parliament, almost eight years ago, Dr Agard, had prophesied that the Levy would turn off the tap for funds donated by business who sponsored NGOs and CBOs involved in conserving and protecting the natural environment and that that prophesy had, for the most part, come true even though not one cent of the billion dollar Green Fund had been spent on environmental conservation.

“At this point,” he agreed, “there has been no expenditure … Towards the end of last year the Cotton Tree Foundation had a meeting and they invited us and I did go and Dr Agard was there and Mr Shand and I had told Eden since this concept of the Green Fund of giving grants to groups and organisations is a new one for us, for Trinidad and Tobago.”

“Not exactly new,” I objected, “since the levy has been collected since 2001 …”

“New in the sense that the projects, the activities to be undertaken are utilising funds from the Green Fund. Maybe it’s being done in a certain way by the Government, for example, the reforestation programme – but that is through the budget. These funds do not constitute part of the revenue of the country they are separate,” he explained.

As one with little or no knowledge of high finance or the mysterious ways of Inland Revenue, I felt he was missing the point.

“They (the funds in the Green Fund) are sitting there doing nothing,” I exclaimed, “Dr Agard felt Government should invest the funds and the interest could be disbursed to the CBOs, it could generate enough interest to keep the CBOs and NGOs going forever.”

Mr Mohammed had an answer to that. “Well, Central Bank is expected to invest. I don’t know where they invest or at what rate but some interest comes in but I don’t know how.”

“So the Central Bank is investing part of the funds of the Green Fund?” I queried.

“Yes. But the law setting up the Green Fund doesn’t talk about investing the funds,” he parried.

I decided not to pursue that point and tried a different tack:

“Dr Agard has a project to rehabilitate the Nariva Swamp – in particular the areas devastated by rice farmers in ’98. The Nariva Swamp is a Wetland of International importance under the Ramsar Convention, the project would not only preserve a staging post for migrant birds, a natural nursery for fish, and a safe haven for the endangered manatee, but also provide desperately needed long-term employment for villagers living on the edges of the swamp. He reckons the EMA would need a large portion of the Green Fund monies on an ongoing basis to complete the project.”

“Well Anne, the question which could arise, say, let us suppose the Nariva Swamp is adopted as a project for rehabilitation utilising funds from the Green Fund. In accordance with the law setting up the Green Fund and in accordance with the regulations concerning the Green Fund, there could be a problem with respect to how to channel the funding because the law states Funds are to be given to Community Groups and organisations registered with the Ministry of Community Development so we’ll have to grapple with that situation – how do we channel the funds? Do we give it to a Government agency?

“Do we ask people to form themselves into a group, register with the Ministry of Community Development and approach the Ministry of the Environment for funding? Of course after the necessary programme, plans and so on, estimates and so on are vetted by the Green Fund Advisory Committee and then to the Minister. It’s a question I’m sure we’ll have to answer – vetting the reforestation programme”

Here, again, we must leave Mr Mohammed, grappling with a move from one Ministry to another while doing his best to man, accommodate and operationalise the Green Fund Executive Unit …