Finance Minister clarifies $14b loan impact, says net public debt increased by $4.07b after repayments and refinancing, not $14b.
Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago – Finance Minister Colm Imbert recently announced that government loans totaling $14 billion over a nine-month period have not, in fact, increased the country’s public debt. He issued this clarification to address what he described as a media report that misrepresented the impact of government borrowing on the national public debt.
Imbert explained that from October 2023 to June 2024, central government and Government-Guaranteed Principal Repayments amounted to $9.23 billion. This significant repayment figure effectively reduced the net public debt accordingly, underscoring the government’s fiscal management. The Minister’s statement aims to provide a clearer understanding of Trinidad and Tobago’s financial position amidst ongoing economic activity.
