OIL PRICE ESTIMATES REALISTIC NOT OPTIMISTIC

Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo is doubling down on the decision to base the national budget on an oil price of US $73.25, despite significantly lower global averages.

Responding to critics who have called the projection “optimistic”, Tancoo says he believes it is realistic, but says government did consider different scenarios of both higher and lower prices when drafting Monday’s budget.

He spoke with our reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh following the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce Post Budget Meeting in C3, San Fernando Tuesday morning.