Buy the FATCA ticket

Using local parlance as he spoke with reporters outside of Tower D of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre, Al-Rawi said the UNC behaves like it wants to win the lottery with FATCA but fails to understand that if, “you want to win the lottery, you have to buy a ticket.” Responding to comments by Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen that the UNC is holding to its call for the Tax Information Agreement Exchange Bill 2016 to be referred to a joint select committee (JSC) and indicated such in earlier meetings the UNC had with the Bankers Association and the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Al-Rawi said, “Really and truly, this situation has got to stop. These goal posts have to stop shifting.

Observing that Ramdeen indicated the Opposition is reconsidering its own amendments which it has refused to share with the Government and the Parliament, Al-Rawi said checks of those documents against amendments already made to the legislation by Government shows, “there is literally nothing left to cause any contention between the two respective positions.” He said the latest claim by the UNC of inconsistency in the bill and the inter-governmental agreement (IGA) with the United States, “in and of itself, shows the utter nonsense that is going on.”