Although Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley said there will be no new taxes, he did say that the country needs to develop a better tax collection system and a long-proposed tax authority.
The Prime Minister was speaking at the sod-turning ceremony for the new central block at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital yesterday. He said experts state that 40% of taxes due are not collected, yet the Government begins to incur expenditure as soon as the doors to one of the facilities are opened.
He said that the cost to construct the central wing at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital amounted to $1.1 billion dollars. This, after Government was able to decrease the overall price during negotiations with the contractor, Shanghai Construction.
Facilities are also expected to be constructed at the Point Fortin, Sangre Grande and Roxborough Hospitals.
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