THE EDITOR: Opposition politicians (not just the UNC) and some trade union leaders are stirring up their followers to resist proposed rate hikes by T&TEC and WASA and land and building taxes. I believe that our educated people who have their priorities right can understand the following arguments:

1. Electricity: My daughter, who lives with me, is a school teacher and I am a retired school teacher. We live fairly comfortably and pay a T&TEC bimonthly bill that averages $65. This is a ridiculously low figure for such an essential service. But we are frugal and reduce our consumption by turning off devices and lights when not in use, using fans instead of AC, etc.

We will not object to paying more given the importance of electricity and the fact that rates are adjusted to the level of usage (which we can control).

2. Water: I pay $108 each quarter for an essential commodity that is used for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing, flushing our toilets, wetting our plants and other uses. Yet there are those who don’t pay their bills. (Some can be excused if their supply is unreliable.)

3. Land and building taxes: It is proposed that the revenue raised from this source would go to the local government bodies that constantly complain about being underfunded by the central government.

Doesn’t it make sense that these bodies have their own source of funding and then be held accountable for the provision of services like garbage collection, maintenance of markets, etc?

Now here is the crux of my argument.

The same people who are encouraged to protest against rate increases and land and building taxes do not pay their HDC rents and mortgages, yet they find thousands of dollars to attend fetes; buy cigarettes, drugs and alcohol; show off in the finest jewellery, brand-name clothes and other bling; splurge on Carnival costumes to be worn for four-five hours; acquire expensive cell phones and other devices and, perhaps worse of all, spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on fireworks – money gone up in smoke in seconds.

Where are our priorities? Just as an example: if I had my last $100, would I spend it to pay off my WASA bill or go to a fete? There are lots of people in this country who would go to the fete and WASA be damned.

STANLEY LEE POW

via e-mail