Trade Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon is assuring that there will be continuous visits to supermarkets to ensure compliance on items that have been made VAT-free.
She says the Consumer Affairs Division has conducted at least four different trips to over 30 supermarkets in Trinidad to ensure VAT was removed from the list of items that were provided by Government.
Mrs. Gopee-Scoon adds that her Ministry will also approach the Council of Trade and Economic Development (COTED) of CARICOM on Tuesday for the possibility of suspending Common External Tariff, to reduce import duties on at least 20 basic food items.
This, she says, is being done to ensure that the prices of food items remains affordable to the citizens of this country.
However, the Minister reminds that this inflationary food increase is due to supply chain disruptions around the world and is not unique to Trinidad and Tobago.
Mrs. Gopee-Scoon says this is why Government took the decision to remove VAT on a number of food items, to allow the consumers to have some form of relief.