Pan Trinbago received nearly $25 million of the $45 million prize money allocated by the National Carnival Commission (NCC) for 2011 Carnival festivities.

The $45 million was part of a total $100 million investment by the Government that, according to NCC officials, also included $52 million for the building of the Grand and North Stands at the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain and $3 million for expenses to deal with security services; meals, refreshments and stipends for judges; construction of the vendors' booths; setting up of a Carnival Village; and preparation for all NCC venues.

According to figures presented by NCC's CEO, Clarence Moe, to the Sunday Express, Pan Trinbago received the lion's share of the $45 million— $24,090,000 exactly.

This was followed by the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO), with $6,445,000.

The National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA) got $6,394,500 and the National Carnival Development Foundation (NCDF) was presented with $150,000.

Pan Trinbago president Keith Diaz gave a further breakdown of the Pan Trinbago subvention:

• $12,120,00 prize money

• $5,823,757 for transportation and appearance fees

• $6,080,000 representing the Government-approved $800 remittance for 7,600 registered pan players.

Diaz, whose organisation had an ongoing feud with Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism Winston "Gypsy" Peters over the $200 decrease in players' remittance, said the amount still fell short of Pan Trinbago's budget as the local pan organisation subvented the additional $200 per pan player, making payments on par with the 2010 level, at a cost of $1,980,000 to Pan Trinbago.

Diaz also said his organisation had to fork out an additional $2,025,000 (Pan Trinbago had 93 registered conventional bands and 64 single pan bands this year, up from 84 and 61 respectively in 2010) for additional bands that came into the competition after the April 30 Government budget deadline and Pan Trinbago's own annual June deadline for steelbands to indicate interest in participating in the following year's Panorama competitions.

Diaz also estimated Pan Trinbago spent an additional three to four million dollars on handling the accommodation, airfare and other incidental expenses for one large, three medium and one small band from the sister isle. He said the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) had helped with some of those charges, and Pan Trinbago would be writing Government to seek assistance with this cost.

He added Pan Trinbago only charged a ten per cent commission on the prize money, amounting to just over $1.2 million.

"This is a democratically run organisation, and when bands seek redress by going to the general member ship, the highest authority in Pan Trinbago to be included in Panorama, even after the band numbers are submitted in the budget to the Government, we have to go along with the general membership's decision, and that is why there is an increase in the number of bands, which brings with it an increase in what our expenses will be," he said. He gave as an example the St Margaret Super Stars, who applied to be included in Panorama 2011 after the April 30, 2010 budget proposal cut-off date.

Diaz said Pan Trinbago had undertaken initiatives like registered cards for players to ensure proper accountability of taxpayers' money. He said Pan Trinbago was showing maturity in how it conducted its business and was also seeking to streamline its database of players as it seeks a proper health insurance plan to cover its membership.