Several members of parliament recently asked questions about how the government calculates its tax on each liter of fuel but the government still has not given any clear answers. The leader of the faction of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Rabin Parmessar, made it clear that “the government is not transparent because it does not provide clear information to parliament.” Due to the lack of transparency, the legislators made a rough calculation and concluded that the government earns between SRD 17 and SRD 18 as a result of the value added tax and the government take. Finance and Planning Minister  Stanley Raghoebarsing pointed out that the government earns about SRD 10 per liter via the  government take but made it clear that he was not planning on providing the exact figures to parliament. MP Parmessar explained that the numbers from the minister indicate that about 40 million liters of fuel are sold every month and that this means that the government earns at least  SRD 600 million per month. He slammed the government for its lack of full transparency and made it go that he would stick to this issue until the government has provided the correct information.

The legislator from the opposition explained that specific information such as the deal with the oil companies is missing and that the government has often been asked to divulge this information. President Chandrikapersad Santokhi has made it clear that “this information can’t be shared.” But MP Parmessar reminded the government that the Constitution clearly states that the economy and the natural resources must serve the nation. He strongly disapproved of the fact that the Santokhi administration refuses to share the contents of the agreements with the oil companies. MP Parmessar urged parliament to compel the government to disclose the vital information and reminded parliament that there are legal tools that make it possible to also discuss sensitive information.