The 2025-2026 national budget, presented by Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo, has been met with fierce criticism from the opposition People’s National Movement (PNM), who labeled it as ‘fake and fraudulent.’ Central to the controversy is the government’s decision to peg the budget to an oil price of US$73.25 per barrel and a natural gas price of US$4.35 per mmbtu, figures that have been deemed unrealistic by critics. Current market prices for WTI crude and Brent crude stand at approximately US$60 and US$63.50 per barrel, respectively, while natural gas is priced at US$3.09 per mmbtu. Former Finance Minister Colm Imbert accused the government of deliberately inflating revenue estimates to access funds from the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund (HSF), a claim Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar vehemently denied. Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles criticized the budget for ‘giving with one hand and taking away with the other,’ citing increased taxes and insufficient measures to stimulate the economy. Former Energy Minister Stuart Young echoed these concerns, warning that higher electricity rates and taxes would ultimately burden citizens. The opposition also accused the government of neglecting critical issues such as crime and education, with Port of Spain East MP Keith Scotland questioning the logic behind policies aimed at increasing revenue through traffic fines. Despite the backlash, Tancoo defended the budget, asserting that the figures were realistic and based on a ‘basket price’ approach rather than individual crude benchmarks.