Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has told Parliament the country is not in recession, The Rio Times reports. Speaking in the 2027 budget debate on Monday, she cited International Monetary Fund forecasts of 0.8% growth this year and about 3% next year, and blamed the opposition People's National Movement for an 86.5% rise in adjusted government debt between 2015 and 2024.
The opposition says the economy is shrinking, and former finance minister Colm Imbert pointed to a Finance Ministry review showing a 2.2% contraction this year. The IMF also expects energy output, the backbone of the economy, to fall by 4.5%. Persad-Bissessar defended plans to sell loss-making state companies, including the Trinidad Hilton and a Tobago resort, rejecting claims of a fire sale. No buyers, prices or timetable have been announced.
Source: The Rio Times
