Guardian ( Trinidad and Tobago )
21 December 2023 ( Page 6 )
Govt to fund rebate, social programme even after T&TEC rate hike
KEJAN HAYNES - LEAD EDITOR—NEWSGATHERING
KEJAN.HAYNES@GUARDIAN.CO.TT
Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales promises the Government will
continue to fund its social programmes, even as T&TEC moves to adopt the rate increase recommendations from the Regulated Industries
Commission.
The two main programmes under review are the rebate programme and
the Utilities Assistance Programme.
The rebate system was first announced in the 2022 Budget. It means if a
person’s bill is $300 or lower they would get a refund or rebate of 35 per
cent.
Approximately 230,000 are eligible for the rebate system.
Gonzales was speaking at a ceremony where letters of approval for
successful recipients of the Ministry’s Social Sectoral Assistance
programmes were distributed.
He explained that it costs the Government $74 million annually. With the
Regulated Industries Commission announcing a rate increase of between
15 per cent for low-consumption users and 64 per cent for highconsumption users, the Government must now readjust the terms.
“As we move forward and the Government has given the commitment that
whatever is the outcome of the RIC’s recommendation, we will continue to
fund our utility assistance programme, we will continue to have our REAP
(Residential Electrification Assistance Programme), we will continue to
have our rebate system and we will continue to provide support for
vulnerable citizens,” Gonzales said.
The Utilities Assistance Programme is one where customers receive a
subsidy of up to $200 per bill or $1,200 annually, but only if they consume
under 680 kilowatts of power per billing cycle.
“But again, it is premised on the billing cycle. The current billing cycle is
two months. And if you are moving to a monthly billing cycle, then we
have to review this particular programme” Gonzales said.
He said it was not a Christmas gift but the Government’s commitment to
supporting the most vulnerable.
Gonzales revealed Government spent $34 million to fund the Utility
Assistance Programme for 13,600 beneficiaries. He said the Government
spent $18 million on the Residential Electrification and Assistance
Programme for 1,700 citizens.
“Now, if you listen to the conversations on the highways and the byways
and the taxis and the bus routes and the communities in the churches, you
will not hear that.
“Because I always say that it feels as though that we have too many
interests in Trinidad and Tobago that are vested in dumping negativity and
negative news on our population,” Gonzales quipped.
Calls to review appointments of Roberts, Nakhid
Gonzales turned his attention to the Opposition saying some of the people
who “spew nastiness” are people like Anil Roberts and David Nakhid,
“who continue to disrespect you and disrespect your children”.
He said, “They do not represent who we are as a society. And I will take
this opportunity and ask the Leader of the Opposition to continue to
review the appointment of these people because they do not represent our
value system.
“We may have our differences where politics is concerned. We will
continue to have our differences where politics is concerned.
But we do not have the right to continue to disrespect people and
disrespect public officials and disrespect public offices.”
Gonzales called on parents to let their children know that the country can
do better and they can speak better to each other.
“These are the things that will break apart this country and we will have
nothing to give to our children,” he said.
Photo: Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales, second from right, with a
recipient of a water tank, Stephen Castillo, left, REAP’s Ingrid Gray and
EP’s Suzie Sooknanan at the MPU Utility Assistance Programme
distribution ceremony at the Dome, Ministry of Public Utilities head
office on Tragarete Road, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
PICTURE VASHTI SINGH