David Massiah Calls for Transport Board Audit Before Any New Road Tax Increases
Senate Minority Leader David Massiah has urged the government to provide a full account of the Transport Board’s finances before introducing any increases in road-related taxes. Speaking in the Senate on Monday, Massiah questioned the transparency of tax collections and called for a thorough audit of the agency responsible for road infrastructure.
Massiah highlighted concerns about the lack of publicly available financial reports, arguing that citizens deserve to know how funds collected through vehicle fees and road taxes are being used. He referenced the Transport Board Act, which mandates the submission of annual reports and financial statements to Parliament, and asked when such documents were last presented.
“If you’re asking people to pay more, they have a right to know where their money is going,” Massiah said. “We cannot continue increasing fees without proper accountability.”
The senator also pointed to the poor state of roads in Antigua and Barbuda, noting that despite ongoing collections, much-needed repairs have not kept pace. He questioned whether funds earmarked for road rehabilitation had been used effectively and called on the government to justify the proposed tax hikes.
Massiah further warned of the economic impact of increased vehicle fees, suggesting that higher costs for transport operators would eventually be passed on to consumers, driving up the price of goods and services.
The government has defended the tax adjustments, stating that additional revenue is necessary to fund critical infrastructure projects. However, Massiah insisted that before imposing further financial burdens on citizens, authorities must provide clear evidence of how existing funds have been managed.
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Totally agree! We need to see how the current funds are being managed before adding more burden on taxpayers.
I support better road maintenance, but only if the money is properly accounted for.
This applies to union dues deducted from Hospitality Employees Payslip too!!!! ABWU is a wicked union!
Why should we pay more if the roads are still full of potholes? An audit makes perfect sense.
Will this audit include public consultations? The people deserve to have a say.
How much revenue has the Transport Board collected over the years, and where has it gone?
Instead of raising taxes, maybe they should focus on reducing waste and corruption. SMH
Massiah, or else?????? Stand down, boy! Does the public at large know how the ABWU spends the millions you collect annually, largely from the working class poor through union dues and other kickbacks?
You and your followers will pay just ike all other intelligent, responsible road users in the country. Stop publicizing your irrelevance.
Sure. and call for an audit of the FAILED SNACKETTE OPERATED UNDER YOU!! ABWU can’t even manage a snackette. No wonder they can’t manage to fight for workers’ rights!
This GERIATRIC SENATOR has been shitting bullets since the PM encouraged hotel workers to form their own union. Boy the PM have him sweating piss and shitting bullets eh 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
If Mr. Josiah had done his homework he would have known that Audited Financial of the Transport Board are no secret and available up to 2022. The 2023 audit are in Draft pending Board approval. All he needed to do is write to the information Commissioner and requesy his copies. If not since these accounts has to be tabled in parliament he could have written to the clerk of parliament requesting the latest audited financial statement from the Transport Board. And when he as question he can let his Leader Mr. Pringle ask questions of the PM or the Minister in Parliament. But like I keep saying these guys are not smart enough. And each time they open their mouth they take away any doubt one would have.
And yes as may above had said, why doesn’t he look into his own organization and reuquest that an audit be done and made public. the workers have a right to know how their union dues have been spend over the years.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1204483434583715&set=pcb.1204483781250347
Why doesn’t ANR Publish these statement so that people can see the Draft Audited Statements from the Transport Board themselves.
where was this clown when the WICKED SUNSHINE GOVAMENT allowed Sandals to hold on to our ABST monies???? Thank God PM Gaston Browne stepped in and put an end to that messy deal.