THE EDITOR: If one were to read into the head of the pharmacy board's admittance that he offers 'consultations" to pharmacies in their application process for licences, we can see that the bigger problem here is the need for any such a consultation at all.

Once a consultant is needed to obtain a licence, then something is wrong with the system. Kudos to Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh for stepping in, but he should fix it permanently.

This pertains to several government licences, such as alcohol, quarrying, several transactions at the Licensing Office, and now, all of the complicated returns required of the Companies Registry. There are many more.

The irony is that this is taking place while Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon keeps lauding our 'ease of doing business.'

On a personal note, I started the process of obtaining a liquor licence for a new business that would have employed three to five people. The process was so arduous that it turned me off. Of course, a consultant was waiting in the slips to 'help' me for a fee, but I declined and invested in US stocks instead.

I am not alone. Ask yourself how many restaurants have opened their doors still awaiting a liquor licence? Why is this so complex?

In this global economy age, investment follows returns and ease of doing business. We cannot allow more bureaucracy to set back all of TT's gains over the years as investment is going elsewhere. Even our own companies are using scarce foreign exchange to do the same in other countries for similar reasons. Time to cut out all of the these spurious hurdles to commerce.

"Facilitate, don't complicate" should be the new mantra for the Government. Please spread the word by hashtag or whatever else is done nowadays.

C ALEXANDER

Port of Spain

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