Local Govt ready for Budget

THE Local Government Ministry has submitted 90 percent of its proposals to the Ministry of Finance for the 2004/2005 Budget and has a clear concept of what it wants to achieve in the next fiscal year. This was disclosed yesterday by Local Government Minister Rennie Dumas during a news conference at Kent House in Maraval. Asked whether his Ministry had submitted budgetary proposals to the Finance Ministry, Dumas replied, “Yes we have. I would say that we are 90 percent into the budgetary process. We have outlined some of the major reform activities we would like to have some of the major programmes and projects we would like to see. What we have outlined has been discussed with the (Local Government) corporations. There is a process from the bottom up in this ministry.”

He explained that the process was ongoing, with the proposals being fine-tuned through discussions with the Ministries of Finance and Planning and Development. Government sources indicated that Budget Day in Trinidad and Tobago has been slated for September 6, and Prime Minister Patrick Manning is going to present a $22 billion Budget in Parliament on that day. The sources said the largest allocations would be going to the Ministries of National Security, Health, Education and Science, Technology and Tertiary Education. Meanwhile, government sources yesterday indicated that the Tourism Ministry had already submitted all its proposals for the next fiscal year. Tourism Minister Howard Chin Lee recently disclosed that part of his Ministry’s budgetary proposals included $100 million for the purpose of marketing TT internationally. Trade and Industry Minister Ken Valley said no date had been set for the Budget because budgetary discussions are still ongoing.