PUBLIC Service Association (PSA) president Felisha Thomas keenly welcomed the government’s pledge to scrap the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority (TTRA) proposed by the former government, speaking to Newsday on May 6.
Former finance minister had pushed to amalgamate the Customs and Excise Division (CED) with the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) into the TTRA, whose role was set out in the TTRA Act.
Asked if the scrapping caused a collective sigh of relief, Thomas replied, “Absolutely.
She said, “I recall going into the election period, when the workers heard the promise from the UNC, I remember the workers saying it would feel good to wake up on April 29 and not have the TTRA having over their heads.
“When it became a reality they were relieved – that they no longer had to be concerned about their jobs and no longer had to be concerned about how to take care of their families. So it was overall relief on behalf of workers of Customs and BIR.”
Asked if anything had to be done legislatively to scrap the act or whether it would just naturally fall by the wayside, Thomas said it would have to be repealed and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said she had instructed Attorney General John Jeremie to start the process to do so.
The TTRA Act was passed in the Senate on September 17, 2021, by 21 votes for, seven against and one abstention. The House of Representatives then passed the bill on December 17, 2021, by 21 votes for, 15 against and no abstentions.
Newsday asked about the former government’s arguments the TTRA would bring a more efficient and enhanced collection of revenue than the BIR and Customs Division.
Thomas replied, “While he said the TTRA would have brought enhanced revenue collection and TTRA was needed for the property tax and all those things, we saw where the property tax was being collected in the absence of the TTRA, by the very same workers of the BIR that he said could not have done it.
“That was just an attempt by them to sway the public to buy into their position.”
Newsday asked about Imbert saying the Privy Council said the TTRA could be a “corporate body”, not part of government.
Thomas said, “When he speaks of it in that manner, he is essentially saying the protection workers of the BIR and CED had under the Public Service and protection from political influence, that he would remove the protection of workers and expose the workers who are engaged in revenue collection on behalf of the country to the will of politicians.”
Newsday asked if it was a red flag for the act to allow the line minister to remove the TTRA, with the nod of the government-dominated Parliament?
She replied, “Absolute red flag.”Newsday asked about a certain percentage of BIR and CED workers having been quoted as agreeing to go to the TTRA.
Thomas said many workers whom the former government had said had responded had in fact sent in letters requesting clarification such what VSEP package was being offered or what terms and conditions at the TTRA. She said the forms received by the forme
