Car exemption hypocrisy

By Errol Pilgrim
July 25, 2021 – trinidadexpress.com

Raffique ShahJohn Doe is not a government minister, neither is he head of any government department.

Mr Doe is among the thousands of ordinary workers in the public service entitled by law to tax-exempt purchases of motor cars.

Like his counterparts in other statutory bodies and throughout the public service, Doe is a travelling officer entitled – pandemic or no pandemic – to motor-car tax exemptions and a travelling allowance.

But the UNC’s surfeit of crassness and hypocrisy has now hit a new low. It condemns government ministers for accessing the same motor-car tax exemption entitlement that UNC Members of Parliament have accepted during the pandemic – an entitlement that was so obscenely abused by some UNC ministers during their term in office that some are the subject of ongoing police investigations.
Full Article : trinidadexpress.com

21 thoughts on “Car exemption hypocrisy”

  1. The PNM is suppose to do better, not follow the UNC. That’s why the public vote for the balisier brigade. The balisier juice drinkers need to stop using the UNC as an excuse for their mischief. They need to do better! Anytime someone complain of their mischief they blame the UNC.

  2. The Hypocrisy of these opportunistic, anarchists of convenience, nether begins nor ends with car exemtions. Once you allow your mind to digest the reality that you are facing amoral, anything-goes, power thirsty, anti-black, anti-african racists, you will eventually come to the realization that your “rules of engagement” with them, must adapt that reality.

    Hint: It’s NOT about cars and the economy!

  3. In April 26, 2021, Couva North MP Ravi Ratiram had been granted exemptions of 356,967.68 for the purchase of a Toyota Prado valued at 600,450.99. In April 30, 2021, San Juan/Barataria MP Saddam Hosein was exempted 395,696.49 for purchase of a land cruiser. David Lee, MP Point a Pierre, was granted exemptions of 1,416,292.65 for the purchase of a Mercedes Benz Roodal Moonilal has accessed exemptions twice in 2017 for the purchase of a Jaguar F-Pace and in 2019 for the purchase of a Mercedes Benz, the exemptions totaled 799,583.40.

  4. I endorse the view that the UNC and its supporters are hypocritical about their position on vehicle tax exemptions, but what is being lost in this discussion is that the debate is not only between the PNM and the UNC. There are many of us who do not support either party. As one caller said on a radio programme, “PNM is the problem, but UNC is not the solution” – a sentiment that I share.

    This government has been encouraging citizens to buy CNG and electric vehicles as a means of saving money and reducing our carbon footprint. Tax incentives were initially introduced to encourage persons to purchase such vehicles, but these were discontinued due to claims by the government that they needed the revenue.

    The government also increased taxes on luxury goods to encourage persons to buy local and to reduce the demand for foreign exchange.

    If carbon emissions and foreign exchange is a real concern, then the government, and by extension, all parliamentarians, should lead by example. They should alter their taste for luxury vehicles and do their part to help solve these problems.

    1. “There are many of us who do not support either party.”
      -A. Hotep

      Question: Who are the “many of us” that you speak of, and which ethnic group or is it that you do represent and support politically? Is it africans, indians, “mixed race”, “nowhere-ians” , “Trinidadians”, or “Trinidad & Tobago ”

      Question: Did you write consistent critical articles condemning the anti-black, anti-african racism under UNCCOP People’s partnership between 2010-2015 and beyond? If not why

  5. Hypocrisy, arrogance and hubris have become part of the culture of not only politicians but the average Trinbagonian.
    These characteristics are always in full display on a daily basis.
    Corruption is often blamed for our lack of progress, but it probably takes second place to the qualities described above.

    1. “Hypocrisy, arrogance and hubris have become part of the culture of not only politicians but the average Trinbagonian.” – Tman

      African and Indian political culture is distinxtly different because of their religious, cultural, social and ultimately ethical moorings. African political culture in the PNM is caribbean african-christian, afro-saxon, bourgeoisie, urban-minded, racially integrationist, and anti-racist (on behalf of non-africans).
      Indian trinidadian political culture, in stark contast, is firmly rooted in brahmin-ist, “Hindu”, Hindutva indian-ism, low class, wealth-at-any-cost obsessed, rural-minded, settler colonialist, segregationist, anti-black, anti-african.

      There is no political “we” culture! There is african political culture which many non-africans subscribe to, and there is indian political culture which many non-indians (covertly) subscribe to.

      Indian political culture e.g. :

      A Racist Radio Station In Trinidad
      http://www.trinicenter.com/Editorial/power102.htm

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6_YALsW5tg

      UNC Shopping Cards
      http://www.trinicenter.com/more/UNCpartycards.htm

      Indian Muslims take a side
      http://www.trinicenter.com/TrinidadandTobagoNews/Nov/indianmuslims.htm

      Real Unity is no game
      http://www.trinicenter.com/TrinidadandTobagoNews/Nov/realunity.htm

      1. Your sick mind never cease to amaze me. You must go to bed, eat, sleep and dream about Indians. Give it a rest you can’t be one of us.

          1. You are judging people by your hate filled sick standard and then assuming that they are what you say they are! I believe you are mentally ill and need some psychological help or maybe you are beyond that. It is call stereotyping.

            Obviously you think Linda that black folks are victims and they are inferior to Indians.

  6. There is no doubt that Inconvenient Truth is a monomaniac. The evidence is littered all over the T&T News blog.
    It’s an extreme case of monomania which requires urgent intervention to prevent full blown psychosis, which probably has already set in.
    It is treatable but requires a long term commitment by the patient and her significant supporters.

    1. Tman is supposedly worried about “monomania”, and is proposing “intervention” to political opponents. Not a couple days ago Tman made a public death threat to me on this blog, that was even more limp than his disingenuous arguments. I think it’s safe to say that anyone with integrity would first intervene to Tman’s violent inclinations towards those whose views affect his artificially enhanced, fragile ego.

      Tman’s persona behind his blogger’s mask:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6_YALsW5tg

    1. There is certainly no “We”, in determining what is or isn’t objectivity. Paolo Kernahan is a perfect example of the type of socio-political trojan horses that exist among african descendents in T&T. On the surface, he seems like a regular african trinidadian, who happens to be light skinned with softer hair texture. However, if you know of this character and observe his talking points over the years, you would know that he seems to be one of “those” africans, that through their thninking, social and political network, that identifies as “mixed”, and “Trinidadian”, which means he’s AT BEST socially and politically useless to the masses of black skinned “pure” looking africans struggle against anti-black, anti-african racism from the indian community and the UNC in particular, as well as whites, chinese, “arabs” etc. Paolo is part of the “mulatto-ish” class of T&T and the caribbean, who, because of their phenotype and proximity to “whiteness” , and non-african-ness, are at a “distance”, from the masses of “pure” looking africans’ lived experiences with the indian community’s devious, anti-african, anti-black racism, malice, funky attitude and altogether underhandedness. It’s people who look like paolo kernahan, that make up the COP and are aligned to india politics and talking points…these are of the non indian faction of the UNC, that are primarily anti-PNM and low key UNC, and wrist slap the UNC’s deviousness to maintain credibility. Paolo narrative on race-relations blurs the lines and muddies the waters on the reality of racism in T&T, that is fuelled by an anti-black, anti-african racial/phenotypical HIERARCHY that places people who look like paolo, and anthony carmona, alongside indians, on a level high above africans who look like Dr. Rowley. This is the same hierarchy in the rest of the caribbean and South Africa! What i find despicable, is how paolo skips over THAT fact and reality, to publicly speak a narrative on “racism” , that is exclusive OF that fact, while posturing as if he’s inherently unbiased and “fair” (pun intended), because he is african descended. In paolo’s fantasy T&T, there is no racial/phenotypical hierarchy and BOTH indians and africans, just as BOTH PNM & UNC are racist. This is why Tman, indians and UNC like africans like himself…apart from his light skin and soft, curly hair texture. These are the types of “africans” that you find in “third option” UNC-COP-MSJ politics…ever heard david abdullah speak out specifically against indian, anti-african racism?, or on behalf of africans’ interest? No? But he wants africans’ votes, and knows indians won’t support him over indian leadership unless they believe he’s in their pocket. Paolo Kernahan is about as non-partisan and “race-neutral” as anthony carmona or fuad abu bakr (both are light skinned “mixed” men with indian wives).

      https://m.facebook.com/groups/unctt/permalink/3275821215844729/

      Into the heart of darkness
      https://newsday.co.tt/2020/08/17/into-the-heart-of-darkness/

  7. This is where Tman, mamoo, tariqandalus, etc get their ideas from and are more than likely writers also :

    Why Indians/Hindus Must Support Trump Indo Caribbean Diaspora News
    https://icdn.today/why-indians-hindus-must-support-trump/

    RACE PRIDE ! IS IT WRONG?
    https://icdn.today/race-pride-is-it-wrong/

    International Archives – Indo-Caribbean
    https://indo-caribbean.com/category/international/

    But according to Amon Hotep, “PNM is THE problem…”

    1. My main ideas about race is simply this Linda (1) My race is gift to humanity. I did not choose it but was gifted to me by my loving Creator. (2) I did not choose my race, nationality, place of birth, family of origin, name, school, so I embrace all of that is part of my heritage. (3) If you Linda have a problem with my race, that is YOUR problem NOT mines. I don’t have a problem with yours. (4) Racism is a social construct design to control, manipulate and keep people apart. It is just plain ignorance.

      In closing Linda a simple question for you. Did YOU CHOOSE your race? If you did not then what gives you the right to condemn mines???

  8. In TT, we have mastered the art of selective outrage. Unless we face the truth that racism isn’t endemic to one political party or race, we can’t even begin to loosen its grip on our future. We will be making this journey into the heart of darkness over the next five years, culminating in another orgy of racial animus in 2025.

    Thank you Miss Inconvenient for posting this article which makes my point.
    By the way I also describe myself as a Trinidadian.

    1. In T&T, Guyana, Suriname, Fiji, South Africa etc. Indian racists like Tman, are obsessed with trying to smear the african victims of their ancestral, religious and cultural racism with counter claims of the same. This psychologically abusive tactic is designed to guilt trip african victims of the indian racism into tolerating and accepting it. The PNM as a political party was never supported by the masses of indians, because of their racist religious views of the indigenous african/negro. The racist indian politicians know that their anti-black, anti-african politics would never gain mainstream acceptence beyond their community, so they devised a strategy to both mask their hatred of african people and their political success, and destroy africans political image and legacy with fabricated anti-indian racism in the PNM. Essentially, because indian anti-black, anti-african racism is their religious and cultural heritage, to many indians, at least subconsciously, anti-RACISM=anti-“HINDU”=anti-INDIAN. It’s a despicable mentality.

      Everything one needs to know about indian-african relations in T&T, Guyana, South Africa etc. , and why indian communities are so obsessively, obnoxiously racist is explained below.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRmkJh4P4bg

    2. African descended people, who wish to divorce themselves from the social, political and economic struggle against racism from non-african groups, in particular Indians, will publicly or covertly define themselves as ” I’m Trinidadian…I’m not african!” or “I’m ‘mixed ” , which they believe do not betray their true “collaborator” status

      https://dwomowale.medium.com/how-african-culture-is-erased-for-the-sake-of-multi-culturalism-an-example-from-trinidad-5f02bf113828

      https://m.facebook.com/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2Fgroups%2F111659685554790%2Fpermalink%2F298462326874524%2F&refsrc=deprecated&_rdr

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