It was recently disclosed by a very authoritative source that the fuel subsidy had cost the country $31 billion in the past ten years, adding that studies show the subsidies “disproportionately benefit the rich rather than the poor.”
I am wondering how much the PAN SUBSIDY has cost the country in the last 10 years.
Replies
I would argue that there is no such thing as a "pan subsidy".
The Trinidad steelband is not a welfare case, but provides an important role in Trinidad's social fabric and just as importantly in its economy.
One cannot easily put a financial value on what a properly functioning steelband adds to a community's social and cultural environment , and especially in youth development.
These things do have value , and cannot be quantified in terms of dollars and cents , but financial assets devoted to these programs are certainly not wasted.
Just keeping so many of the youth occupied and off the streets should have some value , even to you ,Claude.
Furthermore , one cannot deny the fact that steelband activity generates economic activity, especially at carnival time, and I shouldn't need to list how steelband activity stimulates the economy , to the nations benefit ; just use your imagination.
And we're not even talking about tourism , where the concept of the "land of the steelband" has been used for generations as a cultural tourist attraction.
These things should be obvious to anyone interested in the progress of the art-form.
And finally , I must say that in civilized societies , art is appreciated , preserved and subsidized by wealthy patrons , foundations and governments.
Art appreciation is one of the things that make us civilized.