By PETER GREEN
All eyes will be on Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary, Farley Augustine on the island on Tuesday.
After announcing that he was gutted by the allocation in the 2026-2027 Budget, Augustine will be centre stage at three major events on the island, along Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC.
Political analysts are waiting to see the body language between the two today, with Tobago Carnival just weeks away.
At 1 pm on Tuesday, the Prime Minister and the Chief Secretary will attend the formal opening of the new $1.2 billion terminal building at the ANR International Airport.
Later, they will both attend the sod-turning ceremony for the $500 million Marriott Hotel at Rocky Point. Then they both attend the formal opening of three police/army posts at Signal Hill, Plymouth, and Goodwood.
On Monday, Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo announced that Tobago will receive $2.7 billion for the next fiscal year and a further $716.5 million would be spent by various ministries on services and projects for Tobago’s benefit.
Tancoo said the additional allocation would take Tobago’s total allocation for the fiscal period to $3.473 billion, which he said equates to 5.48% of the national budget.
But that did not appease Augustine.
At a media conference right after the Budget presentation at the Red House, was disappointed with the allocation for Tobago.
Augustine said the allocation represented a reduction from the $2.9 billion provided in the previous fiscal year, with Tobago’s share of the national budget falling to 4.35%.
Augustine said that the reduction was particularly disappointing given the more respectful relationship between the THA and the central government. He also said Tobago’s representatives would continue lobbying for increased funding and better treatment for the island in the distribution of national resources.
Augustine acknowledged that the allocation was not the worst Tobago had received historically but said his administration had expected funding to remain at the previous year’s level.
He added, “After a high of 5% last year, we were hoping to be at least sustained at that level. It did not happen.”
Augustine said the THA would have to reassess its priorities and determine how best to manage the allocation in the coming fiscal year.
He also expressed concern about the reduction in funding for capital development, noting that Tobago was expected to receive approximately $150 million for development expenditure, compared with about $201 million in the previous fiscal year.
Augustine has called for greater investment in Tobago’s capital development, arguing that the island needs additional resources to support its infrastructure and development needs. He said a fairer allocation should be guided by a predictable formula established through constitutional reform, taking into account factors including Tobago’s population and its contribution to national revenue.
