Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has mounted a vigorous defense of her government’s controversial tax reforms while delivering a stark assessment of Trinidad and Tobago’s social condition, characterizing the nation as a “lawless dump” in response to opposition criticism.
The political leader articulated a philosophy of fiscal self-sufficiency, asserting that citizens should directly bear the costs of services they utilize rather than relying on collective taxation. “It is time for every pot to stand on its own bottom,” Persad-Bissessar declared, emphasizing her belief that taxpayers’ money should exclusively benefit those contributing rather than subsidizing services for others.
Recent implementations include doubled bus-route toll fees, increased birth and death registration charges, and heightened customs fees—measures the Prime Minister justified as essential for governmental entities to achieve operational self-sufficiency. She challenged opposition claims from PNM leader Pennelope Beckles, who warned citizens to prepare for “economic hardship” and identified taxation as the government’s dominant theme leading toward 2026 elections.
Persad-Bissessar provided pointed examples: “Why should a teacher from Mayaro pay taxes to subsidize bus route maintenance when he doesn’t use it? If you use the bus route, you should pay for it.” She extended this logic to birth registration—”If you make children, you should pay to register them”—and customs fees for importers seeking profit.
Regarding the extended state of emergency, the Prime Minister adopted an unusually permissive stance: “Everyone is free to do what they want. The SoE is not restricting anyone. Feel free to drive recklessly and kill yourself if you want, feel free to encourage your children to smoke ganja and drink rum if you want.”
The political leader accused the PNM of neglecting their own constituencies, citing poor garbage collection services despite available funding and describing opposition strongholds as areas with the highest murder rates, unemployment, and poorest infrastructure. “The PNM has never cared about their own supporters,” she stated.
Persad-Bissessar concluded with a bleak national assessment: “The country is a lawless dump. And everyone contributed to it. That’s the truth,” while maintaining her commitment to improving conditions for law-abiding citizens across political affiliations.