Two Government Ministers in Trinidad and Tobago are coming under fire for their purchases of luxury vehicles in the last four months as citizens continue to reel from the impacts of extended lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the last several days documents from T&T’s Board of Inland Revenue were leaked to the public.
One, dated March 15th, 2021, shows approval being given by the division to grant exemptions to the country’s Energy Minister Stuart Young in the sum of over $556,000 for the purchase of a Mercedes Benz GLE 450.
The document stated the car’s market price as $1,039,460.41 with VAT as $129.932.55, motor vehicle tax as $134,955 and customs duty as $291,683.51.
The second document, dated June 7th, 2021, shows approval being granted by the division to exempt T&T’s Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh from paying $390,166.63 in VAT, motor vehicle tax and customs duty on the purchase of a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.
The vehicle’s value was stated as $703,437 on the document with VAT amounting to $87,929.63, motor vehicle tax as $121,050 and customs duty as $181,187.
