Minister Gumbs to Parliament for question hour on one-cent fuel levy for sports development

GREAT BAY--Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Melissa Gumbs is expected to appear before Parliament to answer questions on the pending one-cent levy on imported gasoline intended to help fund the local development of sports.

The Minister said the questions were submitted by MP Dimar Labega as part of Parliament’s question hour format, which is intended to allow Members of Parliament to receive direct and targeted answers from ministers on specific matters.

Gumbs said the levy is meant to support sports development locally, particularly programs that create stronger opportunities for athletes, schools and young people. She stressed that government’s role in sports should not be limited to assisting with travel, but should also focus on building the environment in which athletes can train, develop and compete.

“This is for funding towards the local development of sports,” Minister Gumbs said. “This is in keeping with what I have been saying consistently before and since taking office, which is that public funding must be maximized in any way possible to fund the local development of athletes and sports programs in our schools and for our young people.”

The Minister said too much attention is often placed on travel assistance, while the broader need is to strengthen the local sports ecosystem. This includes support for school sports, athletic development, training opportunities, sports programs and the conditions that allow young people to progress before they are expected to compete abroad.

“When you place the focus heavily on travel, you kind of lose the point of government involvement in sports, which is facilitating the local atmosphere for growth and progress,” Gumbs said.

The proposed one-cent levy has been part of the public discussion on sports financing for several years. In 2022, then-Minister of ECYS Rodolphe Samuel announced that the Council of Ministers had approved a proposal to allocate one cent per liter of gasoline and diesel for the benefit of sports, citing the challenge of funding sports facility repairs through the capital expenditure budget during a deficit period.

The idea also has earlier roots in Parliament. In 2017, Samuel, then serving as a Member of Parliament, called for an increase in fuel excise to finance a youth development fund, arguing at the time that dedicated revenue was needed to support young people.

Across the Caribbean, governments have used dedicated funding streams to support sports and youth development. Jamaica’s Sports Development Foundation, for example, is funded from 40 percent of the cess on lottery revenues and was established to support the development of sports.  Jamaica’s CHASE Fund also allocates funding across culture, health, arts, sports and education, with 40 percent designated for sports development through the Sports Development Foundation.

In Trinidad and Tobago, sports grants are used to assist organizations and individuals with activities and projects tied to national development, community engagement and athlete progression.  These examples reflect a wider regional recognition that sports development requires structured and recurring financial support, not only one-time assistance.

Minister Gumbs is expected to explain the status and purpose of the St. Maarten levy during the question hour in Parliament. She said the format should allow for a clear update on how the measure is intended to support local sports development and the country’s young athletes.

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