THA Seeks $4.71 Billion For 2021

The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) is seeking $4.71 billion from the Central Government for fiscal 2021. This includes funding for development programmes and recurrent estimates, as well as provisions for Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) and Unemployment Relief Programme (URP). Secretary for the Division of Finance and the Economy, Joel Jack, made the budget presentation on Monday morning. The Division of Health, Wellness and Family Development gets the lion's share of the fiscal package at just over $800 million. Last year, the THA requested $4.72 billion from Central Government - $3.26 billion for recurrent expenditure and $1.45 billion for the development programme. The island received $2.229 billion in the national budget - $1.97 billion for recurrent expenditure, $231.63 million for capital expenditure, and $18 million for URP.