NEWS
Tax Appeal Board rules on VAT rating for chicken products
The Tax Appeal Board has ruled in favour of a local meat processing company in a long-standing dispute with the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) over the Value Added Tax (VAT) rating for its chicken-based products. In a landmrk decision delivered by the board’s chairman Anthony Gafoor and board member Roland Hosein, the tribunal quashed the BIR’s VAT assessments for the period February 2015 to January 2016, concluding the tax authority erred in classifying the products as standard-rated. In its appeal, Heat N Eat Ltd contended its products were zero-rated for value added tax (VAT) purposes. Read more here
Schoolboy released by cops
A 16-year-old Couva schoolboy, who fatally stabbed a man allegedly assaulting his mother, was released from police custody yesterday, following instructions from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The teenager had been in custody since Friday, after the killing of 36-year-old Marabella labourer Akil Sylvester during an incident at the family’s Isaac Settlement, Couva apartment. Initial police reports suggested that the act was in defence of his mother, who was reportedly under violent attack by Sylvester. Investigators from the Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region III interviewed the boy at the Oropouche Booking Centre yesterday. His attorney, Krysan Rambert, was present for the interrogation process. Read more here
POLITICS
Security minister on man's message to Tancoo: 'A plea, not a threat'
Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander says he is not convinced a message delivered by a cutlass-wielding bicyclist at the home of Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo on Saturday, was an actual threat. Instead, he believes this was a plea for help. "I didn't view it as a threat eh, from my experience, right? I speak from experience on many occasions. I thought someone came and had concerns just like any other citizen and he expressed his concern," Alexander told Newsday on Monday May 26. Alexander was a career policeman who rose to the rank of senior superintendent before resigning to join the UNC and be its candidate for Tunapuna in the April 28 general election. After the UNC won the election and Alexander, the Tunapuna seat, he was appointed minister of homeland security by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Read more here
AG: Stand-your-ground legislation coming to Parliament after mid-year budget review
Attorney General John Jeremie is anticipating that stand-your-ground legislation will be laid in Parliament after the upcoming mid-year budget review. However, Jeremie said the process is still in the early stages, as the Ministry of Homeland Security has been tasked with assembling a specialised committee to provide him with detailed instructions for drafting the legislation. Speaking with Guardian Media yesterday, the Attorney General explained, “I asked them to get the committee established by the end of June. And if that is done, I’m hoping that I can get some recommendations before Parliament is recessed. So, sometime after the mid-year budget review and before we recess. That’s what I’m looking at.” The Government has yet to announce a specific date for the mid-year review but the Prime Minister indicated it could be sometime in June. Read more here
BUSINESS
Shift in US policy could impact T&T LNG trade
A regulatory shift in New England, USA, could ripple all the way to Trinidad and Tobago, potentially impacting LNG exports, the Energy Chamber warned yesterday, as it highlighted how interconnected the global energy market has become. In a blog post yesterday titled: “New York wind farms, pipelines and Trinidad LNG”, the Energy Chamber stated that despite the USA being the world’s largest LNG exporter, the world’s biggest economy still imported 0.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) of LNG from Trinidad and Tobago in 2023. Read more here
REGIONAL
Highway robbery
TransJamaican Highway (TJH) has stepped up its efforts to tackle toll evasion, a problem that continues to escalate, according to Managing Director Ivan Anderson. Anderson told The Gleaner that in the past year alone, TJH has documented 680... Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
King prepares to give key speech backing Canada
King Charles III will deliver a significant speech in Canada's parliament later on Tuesday that is expected to offer his support in the country's dispute with US President Donald Trump. The King and Queen Camilla received a warm welcome when they arrived in Ottawa, on the royal couple's first trip to Canada since the start of their reign. Soon after arriving, the King, who is Canada's head of state, held a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney, recently elected on a wave of anti-Trump public opinion. Read more here
27th May 2025