Trinidad and Tobago - doingbusiness.org · Economy Profile of Trinidad and Tobago Doing Business 2019 Indicators (in order of appearance in the document) Starting a business Procedures,

Economy Profile

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and TobagoDoing Business 2019

Page 1

Economy Profile of Trinidad and Tobago

Doing Business 2019 Indicators(in order of appearance in the document)

Starting a business Procedures, time, cost and paid-in minimum capital to start a limited liability company

Dealing with construction permits Procedures, time and cost to complete all formalities to build a warehouse and the qualitycontrol and safety mechanisms in the construction permitting system

Getting electricity Procedures, time and cost to get connected to the electrical grid, and the reliability of theelectricity supply and the transparency of tariffs

Registering property Procedures, time and cost to transfer a property and the quality of the land administrationsystem

Getting credit Movable collateral laws and credit information systems

Protecting minority investors Minority shareholders’ rights in related-party transactions and in corporate governance

Paying taxes Payments, time, total tax and contribution rate for a firm to comply with all tax regulations aswell as post-filing processes

Trading across borders Time and cost to export the product of comparative advantage and import auto parts

Enforcing contracts Time and cost to resolve a commercial dispute and the quality of judicial processes

Resolving insolvency Time, cost, outcome and recovery rate for a commercial insolvency and the strength of thelegal framework for insolvency

Labor market regulation Flexibility in employment regulation and aspects of job quality


Page 2

About Doing Business

The project provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies and selectedcities at the subnational and regional level.

Doing Business

The project, launched in 2002, looks at domestic small and medium-size companies and measures the regulations applyingto them through their life cycle.

Doing Business

captures several important dimensions of the regulatory environment as it applies to local firms. It provides quantitativeindicators on regulation for starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit,protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency. alsomeasures features of labor market regulation. Although does not present rankings of economies on the labor marketregulation indicators or include the topic in the aggregate ease of doing business score or ranking on the ease of doing business, it doespresent the data for these indicators.

Doing Business

Doing BusinessDoing Business

By gathering and analyzing comprehensive quantitative data to compare business regulation environments across economies and over time,encourages economies to compete towards more efficient regulation; offers measurable benchmarks for reform; and serves

as a resource for academics, journalists, private sector researchers and others interested in the business climate of each economy.Doing Business

In addition, offers detailed , which exhaustively cover business regulation and reform in different cities andregions within a nation. These reports provide data on the ease of doing business, rank each location, and recommend reforms to improveperformance in each of the indicator areas. Selected cities can compare their business regulations with other cities in the economy or regionand with the 190 economies that has ranked.

Doing Business subnational reports

Doing Business

The first report, published in 2003, covered 5 indicator sets and 133 economies. This year’s report covers 11 indicator setsand 190 economies. Most indicator sets refer to a case scenario in the largest business city of each economy, except for 11 economies thathave a population of more than 100 million as of 2013 (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, theRussian Federation and the United States) where also collected data for the second largest business city. The data for these11 economies are a population-weighted average for the 2 largest business cities. The project has benefited from feedback fromgovernments, academics, practitioners and reviewers. The initial goal remains: to provide an objective basis for understanding and improvingthe regulatory environment for business around the world.

Doing Business

Doing Business

More about (PDF, 5MB)Doing Business


Page 3

http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/reports/subnational-reports

http://www.doingbusiness.org/content/dam/doingBusiness/media/Annual-Reports/English/DB19-Chapters/DB19-About-Doing-Business.pdf

Ease of Doing Business in

Trinidad and TobagoRegion Latin America & Caribbean

Income Category High income

Population 1,369,125

City Covered Port of Spain

DB 2019 Rank190 1

105

DB 2019 Ease of doing business score0 100

60.81

DB 2019 Ease of Doing Business Score

0 10067.47: Jamaica (Rank: 75)

61.07: Dominica (Rank: 103)

60.81: Trinidad and Tobago (Rank: 105)

59.48: Antigua and Barbuda (Rank: 112)

58.97: Regional Average (Latin America & Caribbean)

52.71: Grenada (Rank: 147)

Note: The ease of doing business score captures the gap of each economy from the best regulatory performance observed on each of the indicators across all economiesin the sample since 2005. An economy’s ease of doing business score is reflected on a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 represents the lowest and 100represents the best performance. The ease of doing business ranking ranges from 1 to 190.

Doing Business

Rankings on Doing Business topics - Trinidad and Tobago

Startinga

Business

Dealingwith

ConstructionPermits

GettingElectricity

RegisteringProperty

GettingCredit

ProtectingMinorityInvestors

PayingTaxes

Tradingacross

Borders

EnforcingContracts

ResolvingInsolvency

1

28

55

82

109

136

163

190

Rank

76

125

41

158

60 57

166

130

174

77

Ease of Doing Business Score on Doing Business topics - Trinidad and Tobago

Startinga

Business

Dealingwith

ConstructionPermits

GettingElectricity

RegisteringProperty

GettingCredit

ProtectingMinorityInvestors

PayingTaxes

Tradingacross

Borders

EnforcingContracts

ResolvingInsolvency

0

20

40

60

80

100

Scor

e

88.57

64.20

84.30

46.66

65.00 61.67

50.97

62.60

35.62

48.48


Page 4

Starting a Business

This topic measures the number of procedures, time, cost and paid-in minimum capital requirement for a small- to medium-sized limitedliability company to start up and formally operate in each economy’s largest business city.

To make the data comparable across 190 economies, uses a standardized business that is 100% domestically owned, hasstart-up capital equivalent to 10 times the income per capita, engages in general industrial or commercial activities and employs between 10and 50 people one month after the commencement of operations, all of whom are domestic nationals. Starting a Business considers twotypes of local limited liability companies that are identical in all aspects, except that one company is owned by 5 married women and theother by 5 married men. The ranking of economies on the ease of starting a business is determined by sorting their scores for starting abusiness. These scores are the simple average of the scores for each of the component indicators.

Doing Business

The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in May 2018. .See the methodology for more information

What the indicators measure

Procedures to legally start and formally operatea company (number)

Preregistration (for example, name verification orreservation, notarization)

•

Registration in the economy’s largest businesscity

•

Postregistration (for example, social securityregistration, company seal)

•

Obtaining approval from spouse to start abusiness or to leave the home to register thecompany

•

Obtaining any gender specific document forcompany registration and operation or nationalidentification card

•

Time required to complete each procedure(calendar days)

Does not include time spent gatheringinformation

•

Each procedure starts on a separate day (2procedures cannot start on the same day)

•

Procedures fully completed online are recordedas ½ day

•

Procedure is considered completed once finaldocument is received

•

No prior contact with officials•Cost required to complete each procedure (% ofincome per capita)

Official costs only, no bribes•No professional fees unless services required bylaw or commonly used in practice

•

Paid-in minimum capital (% of income percapita)

• Funds deposited in a bank or with third partybefore registration or up to 3 months afterincorporation

Case study assumptions

To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about thebusiness and the procedures are used. It is assumed that any required information isreadily available and that the entrepreneur will pay no bribes.

The business:

- Is a limited liability company (or its legal equivalent). If there is more than one typeof limited liability company in the economy, the most common among domestic firmsis chosen. Information on the most common form is obtained from incorporationlawyers or the statistical office.- Operates in the economy’s largest business city. For 11 economies the data arealso collected for the second largest business city.- The entire office space is approximately 929 square meters (10,000 square feet).- Is 100% domestically owned and has five owners, none of whom is a legal entity;has a start-up capital of 10 times income per capita and has a turnover of at least100 times income per capita.- Performs general industrial or commercial activities, such as the production or saleof goods or services to the public. The business does not perform foreign tradeactivities and does not handle products subject to a special tax regime, for example,liquor or tobacco. It does not use heavily polluting production processes.- Leases the commercial plant or offices and is not a proprietor of real estate and theamount of the annual lease for the office space is equivalent to the income percapita.- Does not qualify for investment incentives or any special benefits.- Has at least 10 and up to 50 employees one month after the commencement ofoperations, all of whom are domestic nationals.- Has a company deed that is 10 pages long.

The owners:

- Have reached the legal age of majority. If there is no legal age of majority, they areassumed to be 30 years old.- Are sane, competent, in good health and have no criminal record.- Are married and the marriage is monogamous and registered with the authorities.- Where the answer differs according to the legal system applicable to the woman orman in question (as may be the case in economies where there is legal plurality), theanswer used will be the one that applies to the majority of the population.


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http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/starting-a-business

Starting a Business - Trinidad and Tobago

Figure – Starting a Business in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Ranking and Score

DB 2019 Starting a Business Score

0 100

97.35: Jamaica (Rank: 6)






Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of starting a business is determined by sorting their scores for starting a business. These scoresare the simple average of the scores for each of the component indicators.

Standardized Company

Legal form Private Limited Liability Company

Paid-in minimum capital requirement TTD 0


Indicator Trinidad andTobago

Latin America& Caribbean

OECD highincome

Best RegulatoryPerformance

Procedure – Men (number) 7 8.2 4.9 1 (New Zealand)

Time – Men (days) 10.5 28.5 9.3 0.5 (New Zealand)

Cost – Men (% of income per capita) 0.7 37.8 3.1 0.0 (Slovenia)

Procedure – Women (number) 7 8.2 4.9 1 (New Zealand)

Time – Women (days) 10.5 28.5 9.3 0.5 (New Zealand)

Cost – Women (% of income per capita) 0.7 37.8 3.1 0.0 (Slovenia)

Paid-in min. capital (% of income per capita) 0.0 1.5 8.6 0.0 (117 Economies)


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Figure – Starting a Business in Trinidad and Tobago – Procedure, Time and Cost

This symbol is shown beside procedure numbers that take place simultaneously with the previous procedure.*

Note: Online procedures account for 0.5 days in the total time calculation. For economies that have a different procedure list for men andwomen, the graph shows the time for women. For more information on methodology, see the website( ). For details on the procedures reflected here, see the summary below.

Doing Businesshttp://doingbusiness.org/en/methodology

Procedures (number)1 2 * 3 4 * 5 * 6 * 7

0

2

4

6

8

10Ti

me

(day

s)

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Cost

(% o

f inc

ome

per c

apita

)

Time (days) Cost (% of income per capita)


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http://doingbusiness.org/en/methodology

Details – Starting a Business in Trinidad and Tobago – Procedure, Time and Cost

No. Procedures Time to Complete Associated Costs

1 Request the company name: Companies RegistryAgency

Company name search is done through the Single Electronic Window atwww.ttbizlink.gov.tt.

Less than one day(online procedure)

TTD 25

2 Register with the Companies Registry: Companies RegistryAgency

The completed documents are filed in person with the Commercial Registry,along with payment of the required fee. The company is legally registered andacquires its own legal personality on the day on the date shown on its Certificateof Incorporation. However, it takes about 4 business days to obtain the certificateof incorporation, which provides required evidence for the company to undertakeother procedures (for example, registering with tax authorities).

The following documents must be filed in duplicate: (a) Form 1 (now alsoincludes form 31), the embossed articles of incorporation; (b) Form 6, Notice ofaddress of registered office; (c) Form 8, Notice of directors; and (d) Form 27,Notice of secretary. All forms are available at the Government Printer.

As of April 2013, online registration is available at www.ttbizlink.gov.tt.

Once the incorporation is approved, the original signed forms must be submittedin person to the Registry, where they are stamped and processed. Then, theCertificate of Incorporation along with accompanying documents can be receivedthe same day. If the subscription account was not chosen to pay for theincorporation, then payment for the incorporation has to be paid at thecashier.

3 days TTD 560 (TTD 400for Articles ofIncorporation Form +TTD 40 for Notice ofAddress ofRegistered OfficeForm + TTD 40 forNotice of DirectorsForm + TTD 40 forNotice of SecretaryForm + TTD 40 forCertificate ofIncorporation)

3 Make a company seal: The OfficeWorks LimitedAgency

As of January 2017, the fees for the company seal are TTD 195 + VAT for arubber company seal with no logo, TTD335 + VAT for a self inking seal and ametal/iron seal costs TTD550 plus VAT.

Company seals can be obtained as quickly as four hours, but same day serviceis guaranteed if the request is placed by 10:00 am, the seal will be ready by 2:00pm for no expedited fee.

1 day (simultaneouswith previousprocedure)

TTD 195 + VAT

4 Apply for tax payer identification number: Board of Inland RevenueAgency

To apply for a taxpayer identification number, the company applies with theBoard of Inland Revenue for a corporate file number and a pay-as-you-earn filenumber.

1 day no charge

5 Apply for Registration as an Employer: National Insurance BoardAgency

To obtain a national insurance number, the company must apply to register as anemployer by completing an application form (NI.1) and filing it with the NationalInsurance Board of Trinidad and Tobago. Employer registration is effectiveimmediately upon receipt of the application except when the system dataindicates previous registration of the employer. A Certificate of Registration isissued in the name of the company immediately following registration.

1 day (simultaneouswith previousprocedure)

no charge

6 Apply for Registration of Employees: National Insurance BoardAgency

After applying to be registered as an employer and receiving a national insurancenumber, the company must enroll with the National Insurance Board anyqualifying employee who has not been enrolled previously. The employer mustsubmit N1.4- Application to Register an Employed Person to the NationalInsurance Board Service Centre within 14 days of hiring the employee. Theemployee is then required within 7 days of employment, to provide the companywith the information needed to complete Form NI.4. This form must be signed bythe company and filed with the authority. It takes 4 weeks for the NationalInsurance Board Service Centre to notify the company that the application is inorder and to supply the company with the employee's national insurance number.

4 days(simultaneous withprevious procedure)

no charge

7 Register for VAT: Value Added Tax ('VAT') Office, Board of Inland RevenueAgency

If the company earns gross income over TTD 500,000 per year or if it anticipatesearning such an income within 12 months from the date that it applies for VATregistration, it may apply by completing, signing, and filing two forms (VAT No. 1and VAT No. 2) with the required supporting documentation. The company canstart operating without being registered for VAT and apply only once it hasreached the TTD 500,000 threshold. Upon registration, it will receive a certificateand a VAT registration number.

7 days(simultaneous withprevious procedure)

no charge


Page 8

Takes place simultaneously with previous procedure.


Page 9

Dealing with Construction Permits

This topic tracks the procedures, time and cost to build a warehouse—including obtaining necessary the licenses and permits, submitting allrequired notifications, requesting and receiving all necessary inspections and obtaining utility connections. In addition, the Dealing withConstruction Permits indicator measures the building quality control index, evaluating the quality of building regulations, the strength ofquality control and safety mechanisms, liability and insurance regimes, and professional certification requirements. The most recent round ofdata collection was completed in May 2018. See the methodology for more information


Procedures to legally build a warehouse(number)

Submitting all relevant documents and obtainingall necessary clearances, licenses, permits andcertificates

•

Submitting all required notifications and receivingall necessary inspections

•

Obtaining utility connections for water andsewerage

•

Registering and selling the warehouse after itscompletion

•



•

Each procedure starts on a separate day—though procedures that can be fully completedonline are an exception to this rule

•


•

No prior contact with officials•Cost required to complete each procedure (% ofincome per capita)

Official costs only, no bribes•Building quality control index (0-15)

Quality of building regulations (0-2)•Quality control before construction (0-1)•Quality control during construction (0-3)•Quality control after construction (0-3)•Liability and insurance regimes (0-2)•Professional certifications (0-4)•


To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about theconstruction company, the warehouse project and the utility connections are used.

The construction company (BuildCo):

- Is a limited liability company (or its legal equivalent) and operates in the economy’slargest business city. For 11 economies the data are also collected for the secondlargest business city.- Is 100% domestically and privately owned; has five owners, none of whom is alegal entity. Has a licensed architect and a licensed engineer, both registered withthe local association of architects or engineers. BuildCo is not assumed to have anyother employees who are technical or licensed experts, such as geological ortopographical experts.- Owns the land on which the warehouse will be built and will sell the warehouseupon its completion.

The warehouse:

- Will be used for general storage activities, such as storage of books or stationery.- Will have two stories, both above ground, with a total constructed area ofapproximately 1,300.6 square meters (14,000 square feet). Each floor will be 3meters (9 feet, 10 inches) high and will be located on a land plot of approximately929 square meters (10,000 square feet) that is 100% owned by BuildCo, and thewarehouse is valued at 50 times income per capita.- Will have complete architectural and technical plans prepared by a licensedarchitect. If preparation of the plans requires such steps as obtaining furtherdocumentation or getting prior approvals from external agencies, these are countedas procedures.- Will take 30 weeks to construct (excluding all delays due to administrative andregulatory requirements).

The water and sewerage connections:

- Will be 150 meters (492 feet) from the existing water source and sewer tap. If thereis no water delivery infrastructure in the economy, a borehole will be dug. If there isno sewerage infrastructure, a septic tank in the smallest size available will beinstalled or built.- Will have an average water use of 662 liters (175 gallons) a day and an averagewastewater flow of 568 liters (150 gallons) a day. Will have a peak water use of1,325 liters (350 gallons) a day and a peak wastewater flow of 1,136 liters (300gallons) a day.- Will have a constant level of water demand and wastewater flow throughout theyear; will be 1 inch in diameter for the water connection and 4 inches in diameter forthe sewerage connection.


Page 10

http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/dealing-with-construction-permits

Dealing with Construction Permits - Trinidad and Tobago

Figure – Dealing with Construction Permits in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Ranking and Score

DB 2019 Dealing with Construction Permits Score

0 100







Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of dealing with construction permits is determined by sorting their scores for dealing withconstruction permits. These scores are the simple average of the scores for each of the component indicators.

Figure – Dealing with Construction Permits in Trinidad and Tobago – Procedure, Time and Cost




Procedures (number)1 2 * 3 4 * 5 * 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 * 15 16

0

50

100

150

200

250

Tim

e (d

ays)

0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07

Cost

(% o

f war

ehou

se v

alue

)

Time (days) Cost (% of warehouse value)

Standardized Warehouse

Estimated value of warehouse TTD 5,281,915.60




OECD highincome


Procedures (number) 16 15.4 12.7 None in 2017/18

Time (days) 253 199.0 153.1 None in 2017/18

Cost (% of warehouse value) 0.1 3.2 1.5 None in 2017/18

Building quality control index (0-15) 10.0 8.9 11.5 15.0 (3 Economies)


Page 11


Figure – Dealing with Construction Permits in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Measure of Quality

Trinidad and Tobago Antigua and Barbuda Dominica Grenada Jamaica Latin America & Caribbean

0

5

10

15

Inde

x sc

ore 10.0

9.08.0

5.0

12.0

8.9

Details – Dealing with Construction Permits in Trinidad and Tobago – Procedure, Time and Cost


1 Obtain cadastral sheet: Land and Surveys Division of the Ministry of Housing, Land and Marine

ResourcesAgency

The Land and Surveys Division of the Ministry of Housing, Land and MarineResources provides vertical and horizontal survey control services to landsurveyors, engineers and to the general public on request. This service providesprofessionals with the coordinates required to perform cadastral, geodetic andtopographical surveys, and to produce location maps.It should be noted that the cadastral sheet is not always ideal as a location map,but it is a base map which various agencies use for plotting and cross-referencing of projects. A copy of the relevant cadastral sheet is thereforerequired in all submissions.

1 day no charge

2 Request outline planning permission: Town and Country Planning Division of the Ministry of Planning and

Sustainable DevelopmentAgency

Upon issuing of the cadastral sheet, BuildCo. must outline planning permissionshould be obtained prior to applying for full planning permission. This permissioninforms an applicant whether or not the type of development proposed isconsistent with the existing land use policy and provides overall developmentstandards applicable to the site. Submission of an outline application reduces therisk of unnecessary expense in the preparation of plans and technical drawingsfor a development that may not be approved.

To obtain outline planning permission, BuildCo must submit the followingdocuments to the regional office responsible for the area concerned:

• Two copies of the completed “outline application form” (TCP/3). An Outlineapplication form (TCP/3) can be obtained ‘online’ or from the nearest regionaloffice• Two copies of a location sketch with sufficient information for the site to beclearly and positively identified in the field.. Information such as the plot number,postal address, number of the nearest light pole or mile mark, prominentlandmark, culvert, and other similar information, are useful on location sketches• A copy of the cadastral sheet indicating the sheet reference and the areaproposed for development• A copy of the deed or oldest and latest tenancy receipts, and survey planrelating to the parcel of land to be developed

While detailed plans and drawings are not required at this stage, a conceptualplan of the proposed development may be provided.

Upon submission, the application is appointed a reference number and anacknowledgement slip is issued. This reference number is plotted on theDivision’s cadastral and layout sheets and all relevant cross references are filedwith the application. The Development Control Inspector from the Town andCountry Planning Division visits the site to collect information pertaining to theapplication. An evaluation and report are then submitted with the application forconsideration. A notice of grant or refusal of outline planning permission isprepared and sent by mail to the applicant. An application is processed within a2-month period.

This cannot be done simultaneously with the previous procedure, given the neeto count with all the previous clearances.

60 days no charge

3 Receive inspection and obtain outline planning permission: Town and Country Planning Division of the Ministry of Planning and


In order to receive the planning permit, BuildCo. will receive an inspection. Thisinspection can be obtained when applying for the previous procedure.

1 day no charge


Page 12

4 Obtain approval of sewerage and water project from the Water andSewerage Authority (WASA)

: Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA)AgencyThe New Services Department administers the approval of water and wastewaterservices to new buildings and developments. This makes this procedure a non-simultaneous one with the previous one.

35 days TTD 650

5 Receive inspection from the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) andreceive an estimate for connection costs

: Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA)AgencyThe Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) inspects the site to prepare anestimate of the connection costs. Only after the permission has been granted onecan apply for this procedure. As a result, this procedure cannot be simultaneous.

1 day no charge

6 Obtain approval from the Fire Department: Fire DepartmentAgency

At the same time, BuildCo. can request the Fire Department approval request atthe same time as the Water and Sewerage one.

30 days no charge

7 Obtain full planning permission: Town and Country Planning Division of the Ministry of Planning and


Full planning permission must be obtained from the Town and Country PlanningDivision of the Ministry of Planning and Development before any development ofland is physically undertaken on the site.

For full planning permission, applicants are required to submit the followingdocuments to the regional office responsible for the area concerned:

• Four copies of the completed application form for permission to develop land(TCP/1)• Four copies of a location sketch with sufficient information for the site to beclearly and positively identified in the field. Information such as the plot number,postal address, number of the nearest light pole, mark of the nearest mile post,prominent landmark, culvert and other similar information, are useful on locationsketches.• Four copies of all plans and drawings that describe the proposed development(as applicable). All drawings are to be drawn at an appropriate scale for legibilityand easy handling.• Location and site plan showing the north sign.• Copy of deed and survey plan for the site proposed for development.• Floor plans and foundation plans• Elevations and sections• Structural drawings• Isometric drawings (for sewered buildings)• Electrical drawings (for nonresidential buildings)• Two copies of the completed application form for the utilization of land (LHA-2),which should be forwarded to the local authority. These forms can be obtainedfrom the municipal corporation responsible for the area concerned.

Upon submission, the application is appointed a reference number and anacknowledgement slip is issued. This reference number is plotted on theDivision’s cadastral and layout sheets and all relevant cross references are filedwith the application. The Development Control Inspector from the Town andCountry Planning Division visits the site to collect information pertaining to theapplication. An evaluation and report are then submitted with the application forconsideration. The applicant is usually notified by mail within a 2-month periodwhether full planning permission has been granted.

Full planning permission may be granted unconditionally, or may be subject tospecified conditions. Where planning permission is subject to conditions orrefused, the reasons for the decision taken are included in a Notice ofDetermination. Failure to provide proper information will result in the applicationbeing returned to the applicant undetermined.

It is possible for several applications for different types of development to besubmitted for one property and get approved. Each of these planningpermissions remains valid, unless otherwise specified, and in principle adeveloper may choose the one(s) they intend to implement.

The statutory period to respond to applicants according to the TCP Act is 2months. This deadline is not usually observed.

As a result, this procedure cannot be simultaneous.

90 days no charge

8 Receive excavation inspection from the Regional Corporation: Regional CorporationAgency

Upon full planning permission, BuildCo. receives an excavation inspection.

1 day no charge


Page 13


9 Receive foundation inspection from the Regional Corporation: Regional CorporationAgency

After the excavation foundations has been conducted, BuildCo. receives afoundations inspection.

1 day no charge

10 Receive structural inspection from the Regional Corporation: Regional CorporationAgency

Once the foundations inspection has taken place, BuildCo. receives an structuralinspection.

1 day no charge

11 Notify Regional Corporation of the completion of construction: Regional CorporationAgency

Once BuildCo. completes the construction of the warehouse, it may beinspected. BuildCo notifies the Regional Corporation.

1 day no charge

12 Receive final inspection from the Regional Corporation: Regional CorporationAgency

The Regional Corporation inspects the warehouse to verify whether it wascompleted according to the specifications.

1 day no charge

13 Receive inspection and final approval from the Fire Department: Fire DepartmentAgency

The Fire Department inspection can only be done after the Regional Corporationhas conducted its revision.

1 day TTD 200

14 Obtain water and sewage connection: Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA)Agency

For the drawings' submission the company would need a licensed plumber tosubmit the documents. The plumber does not have any other specific tasks otherthan submitting the plans. Often times, the drawings are not even done by theplumber. For the case study, BuildCo. staffs a plumber among its employees.

60 days TTD 2,927

15Obtain building completion certificate

: Regional CorporationAgencyThis is an independent procedure from the water and sewage application. TheRegional Corporation will send the completion certificate to BuildCo. after theinspection.

14 days TTD 1,000

16 Obtain water and sewage completion certificate: Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA)Agency

The final procedure, obtaining water and sewage connection. Cannot beprocessed without the completion certificate. As a result, it cannot besimultaneous with the previous procedure.

1 day no charge


Page 14

Details – Dealing with Construction Permits in Trinidad and Tobago – Measure of Quality

Answer Score

Building quality control index (0-15) 10.0

Quality of building regulations index (0-2) 2.0

How accessible are building laws and regulations in your economy? (0-1) Available online;Free of charge.

1.0

Which requirements for obtaining a building permit are clearly specified in the buildingregulations or on any accessible website, brochure or pamphlet? (0-1)

List of requireddocuments; Feesto be paid;Requiredpreapprovals.

1.0

Quality control before construction index (0-1) 1.0

Which third-party entities are required by law to verify that the building plans are incompliance with existing building regulations? (0-1)

Licensedengineer.

1.0

Quality control during construction index (0-3) 1.0

What types of inspections (if any) are required by law to be carried out during construction?(0-2)

Inspections atvarious phases.

1.0

Do legally mandated inspections occur in practice during construction? (0-1) Mandatoryinspections arenot always donein practice duringconstruction;Mandatoryinspections aredone most of thetime duringconstruction.

0.0

Quality control after construction index (0-3) 3.0

Is there a final inspection required by law to verify that the building was built in accordancewith the approved plans and regulations? (0-2)

Yes, finalinspection isdone bygovernmentagency.

2.0

Do legally mandated final inspections occur in practice? (0-1) Final inspectionalways occurs inpractice.

1.0

Liability and insurance regimes index (0-2) 0.0

Which parties (if any) are held liable by law for structural flaws or problems in the buildingonce it is in use (Latent Defect Liability or Decennial Liability)? (0-1)

No party is heldliable under thelaw.

0.0

Which parties (if any) are required by law to obtain an insurance policy to cover possiblestructural flaws or problems in the building once it is in use (Latent Defect Liability Insuranceor Decennial Insurance)? (0-1)

No party isrequired by lawto obtaininsurance .

0.0

Professional certifications index (0-4) 3.0

What are the qualification requirements for the professional responsible for verifying that thearchitectural plans or drawings are in compliance with existing building regulations? (0-2)

Minimum numberof years ofexperience;University degreein architecture orengineering;Being aregisteredarchitect orengineer.

2.0


Page 15

What are the qualification requirements for the professional who supervises the constructionon the ground? (0-2)

Minimum numberof years ofexperience;University degreein engineering,construction orconstructionmanagement.

1.0


Page 16

Getting Electricity

This topic measures the procedures, time and cost required for a business to obtain a permanent electricity connection for a newlyconstructed warehouse. Additionally, the reliability of supply and transparency of tariffs index measures reliability of supply, transparency oftariffs and the price of electricity. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in May 2018.

.See the methodology

for more information


Procedures to obtain an electricity connection(number)

Submitting all relevant documents and obtainingall necessary clearances and permits

•

Completing all required notifications andreceiving all necessary inspections

•

Obtaining external installation works and possiblypurchasing material for these works

•

Concluding any necessary supply contract andobtaining final supply

•


Is at least 1 calendar day•Each procedure starts on a separate day•Does not include time spent gatheringinformation

•

Reflects the time spent in practice, with littlefollow-up and no prior contact with officials

•

Cost required to complete each procedure (% ofincome per capita)

Official costs only, no bribes•Value added tax excluded•

The reliability of supply and transparency oftariffs index (0-8)

Duration and frequency of power outages (0–3)•Tools to monitor power outages (0–1)•Tools to restore power supply (0–1)•Regulatory monitoring of utilities’ performance(0–1)

•

Financial deterrents limiting outages (0–1)•Transparency and accessibility of tariffs (0–1)•

Price of electricity (cents per kilowatt-hour)*

Price based on monthly bill for commercialwarehouse in case study

•

*Note: measures the price ofelectricity, but it is not included in the ease of doingbusiness score nor the ranking on the ease ofgetting electricity.

Doing Business


To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about thewarehouse, the electricity connection and the monthly consumption are used.

The warehouse:

- Is owned by a local entrepreneur and is used for storage of goods.- Is located in the economy’s largest business city. For 11 economies the data arealso collected for the second largest business city.- Is located in an area where similar warehouses are typically located and is in anarea with no physical constraints. For example, the property is not near a railway.- Is a new construction and is being connected to electricity for the first time.- Has two stories with a total surface area of approximately 1,300.6 square meters(14,000 square feet). The plot of land on which it is built is 929 square meters(10,000 square feet).

The electricity connection:

- Is a permanent one with a three-phase, four-wire Y connection with a subscribedcapacity of 140-kilo-volt-ampere (kVA) with a power factor of 1, when 1 kVA = 1kilowatt (kW).- Has a length of 150 meters. The connection is to either the low- or medium-voltagedistribution network and is either overhead or underground, whichever is morecommon in the area where the warehouse is located and requires works that involvethe crossing of a 10-meter road (such as by excavation or overhead lines) but are allcarried out on public land. There is no crossing of other owners’ private propertybecause the warehouse has access to a road.- Does not require work to install the internal wiring of the warehouse. This hasalready been completed up to and including the customer’s service panel orswitchboard and the meter base.

The monthly consumption:

- It is assumed that the warehouse operates 30 days a month from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m. (8 hours a day), with equipment utilized at 80% of capacity on average and thatthere are no electricity cuts (assumed for simplicity reasons) and the monthly energyconsumption is 26,880 kilowatt-hours (kWh); hourly consumption is 112 kWh.- If multiple electricity suppliers exist, the warehouse is served by the cheapestsupplier.- Tariffs effective in January of the current year are used for calculation of the price ofelectricity for the warehouse. Although January has 31 days, for calculationpurposes only 30 days are used.


Page 17

http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/getting-electricity

http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/getting-electricity

Getting Electricity - Trinidad and Tobago

Figure – Getting Electricity in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Ranking and Score

DB 2019 Getting Electricity Score

0 100







Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of getting electricity is determined by sorting their scores for getting electricity. These scores arethe simple average of the scores for all the component indicators except the price of electricity.

Standardized Connection

Price of electricity (US cents per kWh) 6.7

Name of utility Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission




OECD highincome


Procedures (number) 4 5.5 4.5 3 (25 Economies)

Time (days) 61 65.5 77.2 18 (3 Economies)

Cost (% of income per capita) 199 946.3 64.2 0.0 (3 Economies)

Reliability of supply and transparency of tariffindex (0-8)

6 4.3 7.5 8.0 (27 Economies)


Page 18

Figure – Getting Electricity in Trinidad and Tobago – Procedure, Time and Cost




Procedures (number)1 2 3 4

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Figure – Getting Electricity in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Measure of Quality


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Page 19


Details – Getting Electricity in Trinidad and Tobago – Procedure, Time and Cost



1 Request final internal wiring inspection and obtain inspection certificate: Govt. Electrical InspectorateAgency

Customer/Contractor needs to obtain application form from Inspectorate offices.The Application form is to be completed by the licensed Wireman but signed bythe owner/customer. On the same day that the Wireman submits this form, partor all of the costs associated with the inspection must be paid. The date forinspection is given immediately at this point (i.e. on the same day given thatpayment in part or in full has occurred).

21 calendar days TTD 1,550

2 Submit service request to T&TEC and await site inspection: Trinidad and Tobago Electricity CommissionAgency

Documents to be submitted - Proof of ownership of premises to be connected:e.g. Title, Deed of Assent, Deed of Gift, Deed of Mortgage, Deed of Lease;Service Deposit for each meter; the Registration Certificate of the Company; ALetter from Company authorizing the bearer to sign on its behalf; Identification ofthe Signatory: e.g. Identification Card, Passport or Driver's Permit; The CompanySeal or rubber stamp. Customer provides load details of connection. Onceapplication is received, the utility carries out a survey to confirm that the capacityexists.

14 calendar days TTD 0

3 Receive site visit from T&TEC and await conditions of supply letter: Trinidad and Tobago Electricity CommissionAgency

Once an application is received, the utility carries out a survey to confirm that therequested capacity can be supplied. After the survey is completed, T&TECissues a Conditions of Supply letter informing the electrical contractor of theavailability or non-availability of the capacity required, terms and conditions,connection costs and whether capital works would be required.

5 calendar days TTD 203,415.23

4 Pay service deposit and await external connection, meter installation andelectricity flow from T&TEC

: Trinidad and Tobago Electricity CommissionAgencyCustomer makes payment of estimated amount at utility offices, and utilityconducts all external connection works and meter installation.

21 calendar days TTD 5,250


Page 20

Details – Getting Electricity in Trinidad and Tobago – Measure of Quality

Note:

If the duration and frequency of outages is 100 or less, the economy is eligible to score on the Reliability of supply and transparency of tariffindex.

If the duration and frequency of outages is not available, or is over 100, the economy is not eligible to score on the index.

If the minimum outage time considered for SAIDI/SAIFI is over 5 minutes, the economy is not eligible to score on the index.

Answer

Reliability of supply and transparency of tariff index (0-8) 6

Total duration and frequency of outages per customer a year (0-3) 1

System average interruption duration index (SAIDI) 5.7

System average interruption frequency index (SAIFI) 2.8

What is the minimum outage time (in minutes) that the utility considers for the calculation of SAIDI/SAIFI 2.0

Mechanisms for monitoring outages (0-1) 1

Does the distribution utility use automated tools to monitor outages? Yes

Mechanisms for restoring service (0-1) 1

Does the distribution utility use automated tools to restore service? Yes

Regulatory monitoring (0-1) 1

Does a regulator—that is, an entity separate from the utility—monitor the utility’s performance on reliability ofsupply?

Yes

Financial deterrents aimed at limiting outages (0-1) 1

Does the utility either pay compensation to customers or face fines by the regulator (or both) if outagesexceed a certain cap?

Yes

Communication of tariffs and tariff changes (0-1) 1

Are effective tariffs available online? Yes

Link to the website, if available online Small industrialhttps://ttec.co.tt/default/tariffs-2#industriallargeloads

Are customers notified of a change in tariff ahead of the billing cycle? Yes


Page 21

Registering Property

This topic examines the steps, time and cost involved in registering property, assuming a standardized case of an entrepreneur who wants topurchase land and a building that is already registered and free of title dispute. In addition, the topic also measures the quality of the landadministration system in each economy. The quality of land administration index has five dimensions: reliability of infrastructure, transparencyof information, geographic coverage, land dispute resolution, and equal access to property rights. The most recent round of data collection forthe project was completed in May 2018. .See the methodology for more information


Procedures to legally transfer title onimmovable property (number)

Preregistration procedures (for example,checking for liens, notarizing sales agreement,paying property transfer taxes)

•

Registration procedures in the economy's largestbusiness city.

•

Postregistration procedures (for example, fillingtitle with municipality)

•



•

Each procedure starts on a separate day -though procedures that can be fully completedonline are an exception to this rule

•


•

No prior contact with officials•Cost required to complete each procedure (% ofproperty value)

Official costs only (such as administrative fees,duties and taxes).

•

Value Added Tax, Capital Gains Tax and illicitpayments are excluded

•

Quality of land administration index (0-30)

Reliability of infrastructure index (0-8)•Transparency of information index (0–6)•Geographic coverage index (0–8)•Land dispute resolution index (0–8)•Equal access to property rights index (-2–0)•


To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about theparties to the transaction, the property and the procedures are used.

The parties (buyer and seller):

- Are limited liability companies (or the legal equivalent).- Are located in the periurban area of the economy’s largest business city. For 11economies the data are also collected for the second largest business city.- Are 100% domestically and privately owned.- Have 50 employees each, all of whom are nationals.- Perform general commercial activities.

The property (fully owned by the seller):

- Has a value of 50 times income per capita, which equals the sale price.- Is fully owned by the seller.- Has no mortgages attached and has been under the same ownership for the past10 years.- Is registered in the land registry or cadastre, or both, and is free of title disputes.- Is located in a periurban commercial zone, and no rezoning is required.- Consists of land and a building. The land area is 557.4 square meters (6,000square feet). A two-story warehouse of 929 square meters (10,000 square feet) islocated on the land. The warehouse is 10 years old, is in good condition, has noheating system and complies with all safety standards, building codes and legalrequirements. The property, consisting of land and building, will be transferred in itsentirety.- Will not be subject to renovations or additional construction following the purchase.- Has no trees, natural water sources, natural reserves or historical monuments ofany kind.- Will not be used for special purposes, and no special permits, such as forresidential use, industrial plants, waste storage or certain types of agriculturalactivities, are required.- Has no occupants, and no other party holds a legal interest in it.


Page 22

http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/registering-property

Registering Property - Trinidad and Tobago

Figure – Registering Property in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Ranking and Score

DB 2019 Registering Property Score

0 100







Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of registering property is determined by sorting their scores for registering property. Thesescores are the simple average of the scores for each of the component indicators.

Figure – Registering Property in Trinidad and Tobago – Procedure, Time and Cost




Procedures (number)1 * 2 * 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

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OECD highincome


Procedures (number) 9 7.2 4.7 1 (4 Economies)

Time (days) 77 63.3 20.1 1 (New Zealand)

Cost (% of property value) 7.1 5.8 4.2 0.0 (Saudi Arabia)

Quality of the land administration index (0-30) 11.0 11.9 23.0 None in 2017/18


Page 23


Figure – Registering Property in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Measure of Quality


0

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14.011.9

Details – Registering Property in Trinidad and Tobago – Procedure, Time and Cost


1 Conduct title search at the Land Registry: Land Registry DepartmentAgency

There are two systems of law under which land is held in Trinidad and Tobago:the old or Common Law system of conveyancing, and the Torrens system ofregistered conveyancing (The Real Property Act system - RPA). Most of land inTrinidad (about 70%) is still held under the old law system. The two systems existside by side and it is not uncommon to find one property consisting of lands heldunder both systems. The registration system used is dependent on where theproperty is located. The deeds registration system, established under theCommon Law system, was the initial property registration system and then RPAwas introduced and the property in the city of Port of Spain is predominantly stillheld under it. This is the reason why the calculations of the time and cost in theDB Report reflect the Common Law system. Under RPA, all dealings with land orproperty are endorsed in a document called a Certificate of Title, so it is alsoreferred to as the Title system, and the Common Law system is referred to as theDeeds system. Title searches are carried out under both systems as a routinepart of the property registration system. The search under RPA is quicker andless expensive as the certificate of title provides all the information on theprevious owners on it. In the case of the Deeds registration, one is required to doa search for a minimum of 20 years. The search is done manually and entailslonger time and higher costs. A search clerk conducts the title search at the LandRegistry by examining the Index of Deeds and Country Books relating to parcelof land. The Land Registry created an online database which is in the testingstage and, thus, only grants access to search clerks.

11 days TTD 1,250; (TDD500-2,000 (includescharges for documentsearches, copies ofeach page ofdocument,certification of eachcopy))

2 Obtain the Certificate of Assessment from the District Revenue Office: District Revenue Office / City Corporation / Borough CorporationAgency

The application for Certificate of Assessment is to facilitate acquisition of WASAlines on properties in Procedure 4. The certificate is needed to verify that theapplicant owns the property.

11 days TTD 10

3 Conduct companies search at the Companies' Registries: Company RegistryAgency

Searches should also be performed on the companies which are parties to thetransaction. Lawyers will usually use two resources to conduct companiessearches : (1) the online registry at https://rgd.legalaffairs.gov.tt/ and (2) theCompanies’ Registry. Common practice is to consult a company’s online file andwhat is termed the physical file that is held at the Companies Registry.Downloading a company file from the online registry costs TT$20.00 whilephysical searches can cost anywhere around TT$500 - $2,000.00. A standardcompany’s search will usually take approximately one week. The companysearch is done by first downloading the Company's file from the OnlineCompanies' Registry and, later, having a search clerk review the physical file atthe Companies' Registry to ensure that the online file is accurate. Once theCompany's file has been obtained, the attorney can confirm whether any chargesexist which may affect the relevant property as well as, for the purposes ofexecution, the directors of the company can be identified.

Less than one day,online

TTD 500; (TDD 20per download)


Page 24

4 Obtain the Clearance Certificate from the Water and Sewerage Authority(WASA)

: Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA)AgencyThe vendor requests the clearance certificate from WASA (the application form isobtained online athttp://www.wasa.gov.tt/Forms/Clearance%20Certificate%20Form.pdf). This is toconfirm that there are no outstanding rates due in respect of the property. Therequired documents are:

- up to date Certificate of Assessment from the District Revenue Office (not olderthan three (3) months)- obtained in procedure 3;- a sketch showing clear directions to property;-WASA bill (if any);-The clearance fee (revised April 1st 2009)Commercial properties cost $862.50 (VAT inclusive)(B3, B4, C1, C2, C3, C4)- valid identification (ID card/Driver’s permit/Passport);- application form from any Customer Service Centre or download the ClearanceCertificate application form.

At this point, the purchaser’s attorney would also request up-to-date receiptsfrom the vendor, showing that all land and building taxes have been paid.

7 days TTD 862.5; (WASAClearance Certificatefor commercialproperty)

5 Send the memorandum of the transfer to the Board of Inland Revenue forStamp Duty assessment

: Inland RevenueAgencyThe Memorandum of Transfer (PRO lands) or Deed (Common Law system) aresent to the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) along with the utility rates and landand building taxes and property valuation for assessment. The last paymentcollected for Lands and Buildings Taxes was for the year 2009, so the 2009receipts are used for all transactions. The assessment of stamp duty isdetermined by the type of property. The amount due is written on the documentand then paid to the Board of Inland Revenue in Procedure 7.

4 days no charge

6 After closing the deal, swear affidavits of witnesses: Commissioner of AffidavitsAgency

One of the witnesses to the execution of the memorandum of transfer signsbefore the Commissioner of Affidavits.

1 day TTD 12.5; (TDD 5 peraffidavit + TDD 2.50exhibit fee)

7 Present memorandum of transfer to be stamped at the Board of InlandRevenue

: Inland RevenueAgencyThe amount of stamp duty is a percentage of the value of the property.

1 day TTD 369,734.09;("Stamp Duty paidaccording to thefollowing scale fornon-residentialproperties: Propertyvalue: Stamp Duty• Less than TTD300,000: Stamp Dutyis 2%• Between TTD300,000 – 400,000:Stamp Duty is 5%• Greater than TTD400,000: Stamp Dutyis 7% ")

8 Submit the Deed or the Memorandum of the Transfer for the registrationand endorsement with the Land Registry

: Land Registry DepartmentAgencyFor the RPA property, the Memorandum of Transfer and the original duplicatecertificate of title are submitted to the Land Registry and for property under theCommon Law system, the Deed is submitted. The Memorandum or Deed isgiven a unique bar-code number upon registration. With respect to theMemorandum, the volume and folio number where the transaction can be foundare provided. The registration/endorsement of the Instrument (Memorandum orDeed) may take 2-3 months in the case of RPA and less time unser the CommonLaw System.

38 days TTD 102;("Registration fee:• Memorandum ofTransfer andCertificate of Title(RPA): TDD $50• Deed (CommonLaw): TDD $100 +TDD 2 per page(copy of title deed)")


Page 25


9 Registry prepares the return of the ownership form, showing the change inownership for the purpose of property taxes

: Land Registry DepartmentAgencyProperty under the old law system: A certified copy of the Deed is obtained fromThe Registrar General's Department at TTD 2 per page and TTD 5certify/binding. Time is usually 1-2 months. The certified copy of the Deed orMemorandum is then submitted to the Port of Spain City Corporation and thepurchaser's representative will fill out a form. Property under the RPA system Acertified copy of the Memorandum is obtained from The Registrar General'sDepartment as mentioned above and The Registrar General prepares the Returnof Ownership Form which is free and process takes 2-4 months and this form istaken by the Purchaser's representative to the Port of Spain City Corporation andthe return is then done.

14 days TTD 9; (TTD 2 perpage and TTD 5 tocertify Deed/Bindingfor Certified Deed)


Page 26

Details – Registering Property in Trinidad and Tobago – Measure of Quality

Answer Score

Reliability of infrastructure index (0-8) 4.0

What is the institution in charge of immovable property registration? The LandRegistry

In what format are the majority of title or deed records kept in the largest business city—in apaper format or in a computerized format (scanned or fully digital)?

Computer/Scanned

1.0

Is there an electronic database for checking for encumbrances (liens, mortgages, restrictionsand the like)?

Yes 1.0

Institution in charge of the plans showing legal boundaries in the largest business city: Lands andSurveys Division

In what format are the majority of maps of land plots kept in the largest business city—in apaper format or in a computerized format (scanned or fully digital)?

Computer/Scanned

1.0

Is there an electronic database for recording boundaries, checking plans and providingcadastral information (geographic information system)?

Yes 1.0

Is the information recorded by the immovable property registration agency and the cadastralor mapping agency kept in a single database, in different but linked databases or in separatedatabases?

Separatedatabases

0.0

Do the immovable property registration agency and cadastral or mapping agency use thesame identification number for properties?

No 0.0

Transparency of information index (0–6) 1.5

Who is able to obtain information on land ownership at the agency in charge of immovableproperty registration in the largest business city?

Anyone whopays the officialfee

1.0

Is the list of documents that are required to complete any type of property transaction madepublicly available–and if so, how?

No 0.0

Link for online access:

Is the applicable fee schedule for any property transaction at the agency in charge ofimmovable property registration in the largest business city made publicly available–and ifso, how?

No 0.0


Does the agency in charge of immovable property registration commit to delivering a legallybinding document that proves property ownership within a specific time frame–and if so, howdoes it communicate the service standard?

No 0.0


Is there a specific and separate mechanism for filing complaints about a problem thatoccurred at the agency in charge of immovable property registration?

No 0.0

Contact information:

Are there publicly available official statistics tracking the number of transactions at theimmovable property registration agency?

No 0.0

Number of property transfers in the largest business city in 2017:

Who is able to consult maps of land plots in the largest business city? Anyone whopays the officialfee

0.5

Is the applicable fee schedule for accessing maps of land plots made publicly available—and if so, how?

No 0.0


Does the cadastral or mapping agency commit to delivering an updated map within aspecific time frame—and if so, how does it communicate the service standard?

No 0.0



Page 27

Is there a specific and separate mechanism for filing complaints about a problem thatoccurred at the cadastral or mapping agency?

No 0.0

Contact information:

Geographic coverage index (0–8) 2.0

Are all privately held land plots in the economy formally registered at the immovable propertyregistry?

No 0.0

Are all privately held land plots in the largest business city formally registered at theimmovable property registry?

Yes 2.0

Are all privately held land plots in the economy mapped? No 0.0

Are all privately held land plots in the largest business city mapped? No 0.0

Land dispute resolution index (0–8) 3.5

Does the law require that all property sale transactions be registered at the immovableproperty registry to make them opposable to third parties?

Yes 1.5

Is the system of immovable property registration subject to a state or private guarantee? Yes 0.5

Is there a specific compensation mechanism to cover for losses incurred by parties whoengaged in good faith in a property transaction based on erroneous information certified bythe immovable property registry?

Yes 0.5

Does the legal system require a control of legality of the documents necessary for a propertytransaction (e.g., checking the compliance of contracts with requirements of the law)?

Yes 0.5

If yes, who is responsible for checking the legality of the documents? Lawyer;

Does the legal system require verification of the identity of the parties to a propertytransaction?

Yes 0.5

If yes, who is responsible for verifying the identity of the parties? Lawyer;

Is there a national database to verify the accuracy of identity documents? No 0.0

For a standard land dispute between two local businesses over tenure rights of a propertyworth 50 times gross national income (GNI) per capita and located in the largest businesscity, what court would be in charge of the case in the first instance?

High Court ofJustice

How long does it take on average to obtain a decision from the first-instance court for such acase (without appeal)?

More than 3years

0.0

Are there any statistics on the number of land disputes in the first instance? No 0.0

Number of land disputes in the largest business city in 2017:

Equal access to property rights index (-2–0) 0.0

Do unmarried men and unmarried women have equal ownership rights to property? Yes

Do married men and married women have equal ownership rights to property? Yes 0.0


Page 28

Getting Credit

This topic explores two sets of issues—the strength of credit reporting systems and the effectiveness of collateral and bankruptcy laws infacilitating lending. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in May 2018.

.See the methodology for more

information


Strength of legal rights index (0–12)

Rights of borrowers and lenders throughcollateral laws (0-10)

•

Protection of secured creditors’ rights throughbankruptcy laws (0-2)

•

Depth of credit information index (0–8)

Scope and accessibility of credit informationdistributed by credit bureaus and credit registries(0-8)

•

Credit bureau coverage (% of adults)

Number of individuals and firms listed in largestcredit bureau as a percentage of adult population

•

Credit registry coverage (% of adults)

Number of individuals and firms listed in creditregistry as a percentage of adult population

•


assesses the sharing of credit information and the legal rights ofborrowers and lenders with respect to secured transactions through 2 sets ofindicators. The depth of credit information index measures rules and practicesaffecting the coverage, scope and accessibility of credit information availablethrough a credit registry or a credit bureau. The strength of legal rights indexmeasures the degree to which collateral and bankruptcy laws protect the rights ofborrowers and lenders and thus facilitate lending. For each economy it is firstdetermined whether a unitary secured transactions system exists. Then two casescenarios, case A and case B, are used to determine how a nonpossessory securityinterest is created, publicized and enforced according to the law. Special emphasisis given to how the collateral registry operates (if registration of security interests ispossible). The case scenarios involve a secured borrower, company ABC, and asecured lender, BizBank.

Doing Business

In some economies the legal framework for secured transactions will allow only caseA or case B (not both) to apply. Both cases examine the same set of legal provisionsrelating to the use of movable collateral.

Several assumptions about the secured borrower (ABC) and lender (BizBank)are used:

- ABC is a domestic limited liability company (or its legal equivalent).- ABC has up to 50 employees.- ABC has its headquarters and only base of operations in the economy’s largestbusiness city. For 11 economies the data are also collected for the second largestbusiness city.- Both ABC and BizBank are 100% domestically owned.

The case scenarios also involve assumptions. In case A, as collateral for the loan,ABC grants BizBank a nonpossessory security interest in one category of movableassets, for example, its machinery or its inventory. ABC wants to keep bothpossession and ownership of the collateral. In economies where the law does notallow nonpossessory security interests in movable property, ABC and BizBank use afiduciary transfer-of-title arrangement (or a similar substitute for nonpossessorysecurity interests).

In case B, ABC grants BizBank a business charge, enterprise charge, floatingcharge or any charge that gives BizBank a security interest over ABC’s combinedmovable assets (or as much of ABC’s movable assets as possible). ABC keepsownership and possession of the assets.


Page 29

http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/getting-credit

http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/getting-credit

Getting Credit - Trinidad and Tobago

Figure – Getting Credit in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Ranking and Score

DB 2019 Getting Credit Score

0 100







Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of getting credit is determined by sorting their scores for getting credit. These scores are thesum of the scores for the strength of legal rights index and the depth of credit information index.

Figure – Legal Rights in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies


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7

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56 6

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OECD highincome


Strength of legal rights index (0-12) 7 5.4 6.1 12 (5 Economies)

Depth of credit information index (0-8) 6 4.9 6.7 8 (42 Economies)

Credit registry coverage (% of adults) 0 14.6 21.8 100.0 (4 Economies)

Credit bureau coverage (% of adults) 79.2 44.5 65.3 100.0 (25 Economies)


Page 30

Details – Legal Rights in Trinidad and Tobago

Strength of legal rights index (0-12) 7

Does an integrated or unified legal framework for secured transactions that extends to the creation, publicity andenforcement of functional equivalents to security interests in movable assets exist in the economy?

No

Does the law allow businesses to grant a non possessory security right in a single category of movable assets, withoutrequiring a specific description of collateral?

Yes

Does the law allow businesses to grant a non possessory security right in substantially all of its assets, without requiring aspecific description of collateral?

Yes

May a security right extend to future or after-acquired assets, and does it extend automatically to the products, proceeds andreplacements of the original assets?

Yes

Is a general description of debts and obligations permitted in collateral agreements; can all types of debts and obligations besecured between parties; and can the collateral agreement include a maximum amount for which the assets areencumbered?

Yes

Is a collateral registry in operation for both incorporated and non-incorporated entities, that is unified geographically and byasset type, with an electronic database indexed by debtor's name?

No

Does a notice-based collateral registry exist in which all functional equivalents can be registered? No

Does a modern collateral registry exist in which registrations, amendments, cancellations and searches can be performedonline by any interested third party?

No

Are secured creditors paid first (i.e. before tax claims and employee claims) when a debtor defaults outside an insolvencyprocedure?

Yes

Are secured creditors paid first (i.e. before tax claims and employee claims) when a business is liquidated? No

Are secured creditors subject to an automatic stay on enforcement when a debtor enters a court-supervised reorganizationprocedure? Does the law protect secured creditors’ rights by providing clear grounds for relief from the stay and sets a timelimit for it?

Yes

Does the law allow parties to agree on out of court enforcement at the time a security interest is created? Does the law allowthe secured creditor to sell the collateral through public auction or private tender, as well as, for the secured creditor to keepthe asset in satisfaction of the debt?

Yes

Figure – Credit Information in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies


0

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4

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0 0 0

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4.9


Page 31

Details – Credit Information in Trinidad and Tobago

Note: An economy receives a score of 1 if there is a "yes" to either bureau or registry. If the credit bureau or registry is not operational orcovers less than 5% of the adult population, the total score on the depth of credit information index is 0.

Depth of credit information index (0-8) Creditbureau

Creditregistry

Score

Are data on both firms and individuals distributed? No No 0

Are both positive and negative credit data distributed? Yes No 1

Are data from retailers or utility companies - in addition to data from banks andfinancial institutions - distributed?

Yes No 1

Are at least 2 years of historical data distributed? (Credit bureaus and registriesthat distribute more than 10 years of negative data or erase data on defaults assoon as they are repaid obtain a score of 0 for this component.)

Yes No 1

Are data on loan amounts below 1% of income per capita distributed? Yes No 1

By law, do borrowers have the right to access their data in the credit bureau orcredit registry?

No No 0

Can banks and financial institutions access borrowers’ credit information online(for example, through an online platform, a system-to-system connection orboth)?

Yes No 1

Are bureau or registry credit scores offered as a value-added service to helpbanks and financial institutions assess the creditworthiness of borrowers?

Yes No 1

Total Score ("yes" to either public bureau or private registry) 6

Coverage Credit bureau Credit registry

Number of individuals 752,000 0

Number of firms 0 0

Total 752,000 0

Percentage of adult population 79.2 0


Page 32

Protecting Minority Investors

This topic measures the strength of minority shareholder protections against misuse of corporate assets by directors for their personal gainas well as shareholder rights, governance safeguards and corporate transparency requirements that reduce the risk of abuse. The mostrecent round of data collection for the project was completed in May 2018. .See the methodology for more information


: Review andapproval requirements for related-partytransactions; Disclosure requirements for related-party transactions

• Extent of disclosure index (0–10)

: Abilityof minority shareholders to sue and holdinterested directors liable for prejudicial related-party transactions; Available legal remedies(damages, disgorgement of profits, fines,imprisonment, rescission of the transaction)

• Extent of director liability index (0–10)

:Access to internal corporate documents;Evidence obtainable during trial and allocation oflegal expenses

• Ease of shareholder suits index (0–10)

: Simple average of the extent ofdisclosure, extent of director liability and ease ofshareholder indices

• Extent of conflict of interest regulation index(0–10)

:Shareholders’ rights and role in major corporatedecisions

• Extent of shareholder rights index (0-10)

:Governance safeguards protecting shareholdersfrom undue board control and entrenchment

• Extent of ownership and control index (0-10)

:Corporate transparency on ownership stakes,compensation, audits and financial prospects

• Extent of corporate transparency index (0-10)

: Simple average of the extent of shareholdersrights, extent of ownership and control and extentof corporate transparency indices

• Extent of shareholder governance index (0–10)

: Simple average of the extent of conflict ofinterest regulation and extent of shareholdergovernance indices

• Strength of minority investor protection index(0–10)


To make the data comparable across economies, a case study uses severalassumptions about the business and the transaction.

- Is a publicly traded corporation listed on the economy’s most important stockexchange. If there are fewer than ten listed companies or if there is no stockexchange in the economy, it is assumed that Buyer is a large private company withmultiple shareholders.- Has a board of directors and a chief executive officer (CEO) who may legally act onbehalf of Buyer where permitted, even if this is not specifically required by law.- Has a supervisory board in economies with a two-tier board system on which Mr.James appointed 60% of the shareholder-elected members.- Has not adopted bylaws or articles of association that go beyond the minimumrequirements. Does not follow codes, principles, recommendations or guidelines thatare not mandatory.- Is a manufacturing company with its own distribution network.

The business (Buyer):

- Mr. James owns 60% of Buyer, sits on Buyer’s board of directors and elected twodirectors to Buyer’s five-member board.- Mr. James also owns 90% of Seller, a company that operates a chain of retailhardware stores. Seller recently closed a large number of its stores.- Mr. James proposes that Buyer purchase Seller’s unused fleet of trucks to expandBuyer’s distribution of its food products, a proposal to which Buyer agrees. The priceis equal to 10% of Buyer’s assets and is higher than the market value.- The proposed transaction is part of the company’s principal activity and is notoutside the authority of the company.- Buyer enters into the transaction. All required approvals are obtained, and allrequired disclosures made—that is, the transaction was not entered into fraudulently.- The transaction causes damages to Buyer. Shareholders sue Mr. James and theexecutives and directors that approved the transaction.

The transaction involves the following details:


Page 33

http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/protecting-minority-investors

Protecting Minority Investors - Trinidad and Tobago

Figure – Protecting Minority Investors in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Ranking and Score

DB 2019 Protecting Minority Investors Score

0 100







Note: The ranking of economies on the strength of minority investor protections is determined by sorting their scores for protecting minorityinvestors. These scores are the simple average of the scores for the extent of conflict of interest regulation index and the extent ofshareholder governance index.

Figure – Protecting Minority Investors in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Measure of Quality

Trinidad and Tobago

Antigua and Barbuda

Dominica

Grenada

Jamaica

OECD high income

Latin America & Caribbean

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40Sub-Indicator Score

3 9 4 5 8 8

3 8 4 4 4 8

3 8 4 4 4 8

1 8 4 2 3 8

6 8 4 4 6 5

7.4 5.5 6.5 5.2 6.3 7.4

4.2 5.4 4.4 3.5 5.6 6.5

Extent of corporate transparency index (0-10) Extent of director liability index (0-10) Extent of disclosure index (0-10)Extent of ownership and control index (0-10) Extent of shareholder rights index (0-10) Ease of shareholder suits index (0-10)



OECD highincome


Extent of disclosure index (0-10) 4.0 4.1 6.5 10 (13 Economies)

Extent of director liability index (0-10) 9.0 5.2 5.3 10 (Cambodia)

Ease of shareholder suits index (0-10) 8.0 6.7 7.3 10 (Djibouti)

Extent of shareholder rights index (0-10) 8.0 5.4 6.4 10 (Kazakhstan)

Extent of ownership and control index (0-10) 5.0 3.2 5.4 None in 2017/18

Extent of corporate transparency index (0-10) 3.0 3.9 7.6 10 (6 Economies)


Page 34

Details – Protecting Minority Investors in Trinidad and Tobago – Measure of Quality

Answer Score

Extent of conflict of interest regulation index (0-10) 7

Extent of disclosure index (0-10) 4.0

Whose decision is sufficient to approve the Buyer-Seller transaction? (0-3) Board ofdirectorsexcludinginterestedmembers

2.0

Must an external body review the terms of the transaction before it takes place? (0-1) No 0.0

Must Mr. James disclose his conflict of interest to the board of directors? (0-2) Full disclosure ofall material facts

2.0

Must Buyer disclose the transaction in periodic filings (e.g. annual reports)? (0-2) No disclosureobligation

0.0

Must Buyer immediately disclose the transaction to the public? (0-2) No disclosureobligation

0.0

Extent of director liability index (0-10) 9.0

Can shareholders representing 10% of Buyer's share capital sue for the damage thetransaction caused to Buyer? (0-1)

Yes 1.0

Can shareholders hold Mr. James liable for the damage the transaction caused to Buyer? (0-2)

Liable if unfair orprejudicial

2.0

Can shareholders hold the other directors liable for the damage the transaction caused toBuyer (0-2)

Liable if unfair orprejudicial

2.0

Must Mr. James pay damages for the harm caused to Buyer upon a successful claim byshareholders? (0-1)

Yes 1.0

Must Mr. James repay profits made from the transaction upon a successful claim byshareholders? (0-1)

Yes 1.0

Is Mr. James disqualified upon a successful claim by shareholders? (0-1) No 0.0

Can a court void the transaction upon a successful claim by shareholders? (0-2) Voidable if unfairor prejudicial

2.0

Ease of shareholder suits index (0-10) 8.0

Before suing, can shareholders representing 10% of Buyer's share capital inspect thetransaction documents? (0-1)

No 0.0

Can the plaintiff obtain any documents from the defendant and witnesses at trial? (0-3) Any relevantdocument

3.0

Can the plaintiff request categories of documents from the defendant without identifyingspecific ones? (0-1)

Yes 1.0

Can the plaintiff directly question the defendant and witnesses at trial? (0-2) Yes 2.0

Is the level of proof required for civil suits lower than that of criminal cases? (0-1) Yes 1.0

Can shareholder plaintiffs recover their legal expenses from the company? (0-2) Yes if successful 1.0

Extent of shareholder governance index (0-10) 5.3

Extent of shareholder rights index (0-10) 8.0

Does the sale of 51% of Buyer's assets require shareholder approval? No 0.0

Can shareholders representing 10% of Buyer's share capital call for a meeting ofshareholders?

Yes 1.0

Must Buyer obtain its shareholders’ approval every time it issues new shares? Yes 1.0

Do shareholders automatically receive preemption rights every time Buyer issues newshares?

Yes 1.0


Page 35

Must shareholders approve the election and dismissal of the external auditor? Yes 1.0

Are changes to the rights of a class of shares only possible if the holders of the affectedshares approve?

Yes 1.0

Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, does the sale of 51% of its assets requiremember approval?

No 0.0

Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, can members representing 10% call for ameeting of members?

Yes 1.0

Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must all or almost all members consent to add anew member?

Yes 1.0

Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must a member first offer to sell their interest tothe existing members before they can sell to non-members?

Yes 1.0

Extent of ownership and control index (0-10) 5.0

Is it forbidden to appoint the same individual as CEO and chairperson of the board ofdirectors?

No 0.0

Must the board of directors include independent and nonexecutive board members? No 0.0

Can shareholders remove members of the board of directors without cause before the endof their term?

Yes 1.0

Must the board of directors include a separate audit committee exclusively comprising boardmembers?

Yes 1.0

Must a potential acquirer make a tender offer to all shareholders upon acquiring 50% ofBuyer?

Yes 1.0

Must Buyer pay declared dividends within a maximum period set by law? No 0.0

Is a subsidiary prohibited from acquiring shares issued by its parent company? Yes 1.0

Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must Buyer have a mechanism to resolvedisagreements among members?

No 0.0

Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must a potential acquirer make a tender offer toall shareholders upon acquiring 50% of Buyer?

Yes 1.0

Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must Buyer distribute profits within a maximumperiod set by law?

No 0.0

Extent of corporate transparency index (0-10) 3.0

Must Buyer disclose direct and indirect beneficial ownership stakes representing 5%? No 0.0

Must Buyer disclose information about board members’ primary employment anddirectorships in other companies?

No 0.0

Must Buyer disclose the compensation of individual managers? No 0.0

Must a detailed notice of general meeting be sent 21 days before the meeting? No 0.0

Can shareholders representing 5% of Buyer’s share capital put items on the general meetingagenda?

Yes 1.0

Must Buyer's annual financial statements be audited by an external auditor? Yes 1.0

Must Buyer disclose its audit reports to the public? No 0.0

Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must members meet at least once a year? No 0.0

Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, can members representing 5% put items on themeeting agenda?

Yes 1.0

Assuming that Buyer is a limited company, must Buyer's annual financial statements beaudited by an external auditor?

No 0.0


Page 36

Paying Taxes

This topic records the taxes and mandatory contributions that a medium-size company must pay or withhold in a given year, as well as theadministrative burden of paying taxes and contributions and complying with postfiling procedures (VAT refund and tax audit). The most recentround of data collection for the project was completed in May 2018 covering for the Paying Taxes indicator calendar year 2017 (January 1,2017 – December 31, 2017). See the methodology for more information.


Tax payments for a manufacturing company in2017 (number per year adjusted for electronicand joint filing and payment)

Total number of taxes and contributions paid orwithheld, including consumption taxes (valueadded tax, sales tax or goods and service tax)

•

Method and frequency of filing and payment•Time required to comply with 3 major taxes(hours per year)

Collecting information, computing tax payable•Preparing separate tax accounting books, ifrequired

•

Completing tax return, filing with agencies•Arranging payment or withholding•

Total tax and contribution rate (% of commercialprofits)

Profit or corporate income tax•Social contributions, labor taxes paid byemployer

•

Property and property transfer taxes•Dividend, capital gains, financial transactionstaxes

•

Waste collection, vehicle, road and other taxes•Postfiling Index

Time to comply with a VAT refund (hours)•Time to obtain a VAT refund (weeks)•Time to comply with a corporate income taxcorrection (hours)

•

Time to complete a corporate income taxcorrection (weeks)

•


Using a case scenario, records taxes and mandatory contributions amedium size company must pay in a year, and measures the administrative burdenof paying taxes, contributions and dealing with postfiling processes. Information isalso compiled on frequency of filing and payments, time taken to comply with taxlaws, time taken to comply with the requirements of postfiling processes and timewaiting.

Doing Business

To make data comparable across economies, several assumptions are used:- TaxpayerCo is a medium-size business that started operations on January 1, 2016.It produces ceramic flowerpots and sells them at retail.

Taxes andmandatory contributions are measured at all levels of government.

- In June 2017, TaxpayerCo. makes a large capital purchase: the value of themachine is 65 times income per capita of the economy. Sales are equally spread permonth (1,050 times income per capita divided by 12) and cost of goods sold areequally expensed per month (875 times income per capita divided by 12). Themachinery seller is registered for VAT and excess input VAT incurred in June will befully recovered after four consecutive months if the VAT rate is the same for inputs,sales and the machine and the tax reporting period is every month. Input VAT willexceed Output VAT in June 2017.

All taxes and contributionsrecorded are paid in the second year of operation (calendar year 2017).

The VAT refund process:

- An error in calculation of income tax liability (for example, use of incorrect taxdepreciation rates, or incorrectly treating an expense as tax deductible) leads to anincorrect income tax return and a corporate income tax underpayment. TaxpayerCo.discovered the error and voluntarily notified the tax authority. The value of theunderpaid income tax liability is 5% of the corporate income tax liabilitydue. TaxpayerCo. submits corrected information after the deadline for submitting theannual tax return, but within the tax assessment period.

The corporate income tax audit process:


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http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/paying-taxes

Paying Taxes - Trinidad and Tobago

Figure – Paying Taxes in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Ranking and Score

DB 2019 Paying Taxes Score

0 100







Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of paying taxes is determined by sorting their scores for paying taxes. These scores are thesimple average of the scores for each of the component indicators, with a threshold and a nonlinear transformation applied to one of thecomponent indicators, the total tax and contribution rate. The threshold is defined as the total tax and contribution rate at the 15th percentileof the overall distribution for all years included in the analysis up to and including Doing Business 2015, which is 26.1%. All economies with atotal tax and contribution rate below this threshold receive the same score as the economy at the threshold.

Figure – Paying Taxes in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Measure of Quality


0

20

40

60

80

100

Inde

x sc

ore

8.00

69.4078.91

48.85

19.68

47.04



OECD highincome


Payments (number per year) 39 27.1 11.2 3 (Hong Kong SAR,China)

Time (hours per year) 210 330.0 159.4 49 (Singapore)

Total tax and contribution rate (% of profit) 39.7 46.7 39.8 26.1% (32 Economies)

Postfiling index (0-100) 8.00 47.04 84.41 None in 2017/18


Page 38

Details – Paying Taxes in Trinidad and Tobago

Tax ormandatorycontribution

Payments(number)

Notes onPayments

Time(hours)

Statutorytax rate

Tax base Total taxandcontributionrate (% ofprofit)

Notes onTTCR

Corporateincome tax

4.0 45.0 25% up toTT$1,000,000;30% aboveTT$1,000,000

taxable profit 24.97

SocialSecurityContributions

12.0 75.0 various rates gross salaries 9.37

Environmental tax

4.0 0.3% turnover andinterest

5.31

Healthinsurancecontributions

12.0 TTD 8.25 per employeeper week

0.00 withheld

Value addedtax (VAT)

6.0 90.0 12.5% value added 0.00 not included

SocialSecurityContributionson employees

0.0 jointly various rates gross salaries 0.00

Stamp duty 1.0 varies 0.00 small amount

Totals 39 210 39.7


Page 39

Details – Paying Taxes in Trinidad and Tobago – Tax by Type

Taxes by type Answer

Profit tax (% of profit) 25

Labor tax and contributions (% of profit) 9.4

Other taxes (% of profit) 5.3


Page 40

Details – Paying Taxes in Trinidad and Tobago – Measure of Quality

Names of taxes have been standardized. For instance income tax, profit tax, tax on company's income are all named corporateincome tax in this table.The hours for VAT include all the VAT and sales taxes applicable.The hours for Social Security include all the hours for labor taxes and mandatory contributions in general.The postfiling index is the average of the scores on time to comply with VAT refund, time to obtain a VAT refund, time to comply with acorporate income tax correction and time to complete a corporate income tax correction.N/A = Not applicable.

Notes:

Answer Score

Postfiling index (0-100) 8.00

VAT refunds

Does VAT exist? Yes

Does a VAT refund process exist per the case study? Yes

Restrictions on VAT refund process None

Percentage of cases exposed to a VAT audit (%) 75% - 100%

Is there a mandatory carry forward period? No

Time to comply with VAT refund (hours) 77.0 0

Time to obtain a VAT refund (weeks) 40.3 28.31

Corporate income tax audits

Does corporate income tax exist? Yes

Percentage of cases exposed to a corporate income tax audit (%) 75% - 100%

Time to comply with a corporate income tax correction (hours) 54.0 3.67

Time to complete a corporate income tax correction (weeks) 32.3 0


Page 41

Trading across Borders

records the time and cost associated with the logistical process of exporting and importing goods. measuresthe time and cost (excluding tariffs) associated with three sets of procedures—documentary compliance, border compliance and domestictransport—within the overall process of exporting or importing a shipment of goods. The most recent round of data collection for the projectwas completed in May 2018. .

Doing Business Doing Business

See the methodology for more information


Documentary compliance

Obtaining, preparing and submitting documentsduring transport, clearance, inspections and portor border handling in origin economy

•

Obtaining, preparing and submitting documentsrequired by destination economy and any transiteconomies

•

Covers all documents required by law and inpractice, including electronic submissions ofinformation

•

Border compliance

Customs clearance and inspections•Inspections by other agencies (if applied to morethan 20% of shipments)

•

Handling and inspections that take place at theeconomy’s port or border

•

Domestic transport

Loading or unloading of the shipment at thewarehouse or port/border

•

Transport between warehouse and port/border•Traffic delays and road police checks whileshipment is en route

•


To make the data comparable across economies, a few assumptions are madeabout the traded goods and the transactions:

Time is measured in hours, and 1 day is 24 hours (for example, 22 days arerecorded as 22×24=528 hours). If customs clearance takes 7.5 hours, the data arerecorded as is. Alternatively, suppose documents are submitted to a customs agencyat 8:00a.m., are processed overnight and can be picked up at 8:00a.m. the next day.The time for customs clearance would be recorded as 24 hours because the actualprocedure took 24 hours.

Time:

Insurance cost and informal payments for which no receipt is issued areexcluded from the costs recorded. Costs are reported in U.S. dollars. Contributorsare asked to convert local currency into U.S. dollars based on the exchange rateprevailing on the day they answer the questionnaire. Contributors are private sectorexperts in international trade logistics and are informed about exchange rates.

Cost:

- For all 190 economies covered by , it is assumed a shipment is in awarehouse in the largest business city of the exporting economy and travels to awarehouse in the largest business city of the importing economy.- It is assumed each economy imports 15 metric tons of containerized auto parts (HS8708) from its natural import partner—the economy from which it imports the largestvalue (price times quantity) of auto parts. It is assumed each economy exports theproduct of its comparative advantage (defined by the largest export value) to itsnatural export partner—the economy that is the largest purchaser of this product.Shipment value is assumed to be $50,000.- The mode of transport is the one most widely used for the chosen export or importproduct and the trading partner, as is the seaport or land border crossing.- All electronic information submissions requested by any government agency inconnection with the shipment are considered to be documents obtained, preparedand submitted during the export or import process.- A port or border is a place (seaport or land border crossing) where merchandisecan enter or leave an economy.- Relevant government agencies include customs, port authorities, road police,border guards, standardization agencies, ministries or departments of agriculture orindustry, national security agencies and any other government authorities.

Assumptions of the case study:Doing Business


Page 42

http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/trading-across-borders

Trading across Borders - Trinidad and Tobago

Figure – Trading across Borders in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Ranking and Score

DB 2019 Trading Across Borders Score

0 100







Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of trading across borders is determined by sorting their scores for trading across borders. Thesescores are the simple average of the scores for the time and cost for documentary compliance and border compliance to export and import.

Figure – Trading across Borders in Trinidad and Tobago – Time and Cost

Export-

BorderCompliance

Export-

DocumentaryCompliance

Import-

BorderCompliance

Import-

DocumentaryCompliance

0102030405060708090

Tim

e (h

ours

)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700Co

st (U

SD)60 499

32 250

78 635

44250

Time (hours) Cost (USD)



OECD highincome


Time to export: Border compliance (hours) 60 61.9 12.5 1 (19 Economies)

Cost to export: Border compliance (USD) 499 529.8 139.1 0 (19 Economies)

Time to export: Documentary compliance (hours) 32 52.5 2.4 1 (26 Economies)

Cost to export: Documentary compliance (USD) 250 110.4 35.2 0 (20 Economies)

Time to import: Border compliance (hours) 78 62.6 8.5 0 (25 Economies)

Cost to import: Border compliance (USD) 635 647.2 100.2 0 (28 Economies)

Time to import: Documentary compliance (hours) 44 79.1 3.4 1 (30 Economies)

Cost to import: Documentary compliance (USD) 250 116.3 24.9 0 (30 Economies)


Page 43

Details – Trading across Borders in Trinidad and Tobago

Characteristics Export Import

Product HS 28 : Inorganic chemicals; organic orinorganic compounds of precious metals, ofrare-earth metals, of radioactive elementsor of isotopes

HS 8708: Parts and accessories of motorvehicles

Trade partner United States Japan

Border Point Lisas port Port of Spain port

Distance (km) 40 3

Domestic transport time (hours) 4 2

Domestic transport cost (USD) 483 330

Details – Trading across Borders in Trinidad and Tobago – Components of Border Compliance

Time to Complete (hours) Associated Costs (USD)

Export: Clearance and inspections requiredby customs authorities

29.5 300.0

Export: Clearance and inspections requiredby agencies other than customs

2.5 0.0

Export: Port or border handling 36.0 198.5

Import: Clearance and inspections requiredby customs authorities

40.0 295.0

Import: Clearance and inspections requiredby agencies other than customs

4.0 45.0

Import: Port or border handling 54.0 295.0


Page 44

Details – Trading across Borders in Trinidad and Tobago – Trade Documents

Export Import

Certificate of Origin Caricom Invoice

Bill of lading Certificate of Origin

Commercial invoice Bill of lading

Customs export declaration (Form C82) Commercial invoice

Packing list Customs import declaration (Form C82):

Customs release order Packing list

Caricom Invoice Bill of sight

SOLAS certificate Confirmation receipt of payment for customs related fees

Declaration form (Form C 75)

Delivery note to exit the port

Delivery order

Terminal handling charges

SOLAS certificate


Page 45

Enforcing Contracts

.

The enforcing contracts indicator measures the time and cost for resolving a commercial dispute through a local first-instance court, and thequality of judicial processes index, evaluating whether each economy has adopted a series of good practices that promote quality andefficiency in the court system. The most recent round of data collection was completed in May 2018. See the methodology for moreinformation


Time required to enforce a contract through thecourts (calendar days)

Time to file and serve the case•Time for trial and to obtain the judgment•Time to enforce the judgment•

Cost required to enforce a contract through thecourts (% of claim)

Attorney fees•Court fees•Enforcement fees•

Quality of judicial processes index (0-18)

Court structure and proceedings (-1-5)•Case management (0-6)•Court automation (0-4)•Alternative dispute resolution (0-3)•


The dispute in the case study involves the breach of a sales contract between 2domestic businesses. The case study assumes that the court hears an expert on thequality of the goods in dispute. This distinguishes the case from simple debtenforcement.

To make the data comparable across economies, uses severalassumptions about the case:- The dispute concerns a lawful transaction between two businesses (Seller andBuyer), both located in the economy’s largest business city. For 11 economies thedata are also collected for the second largest business city.- The buyer orders custom-made goods, then fails to pay alleging that the goods arenot of adequate quality.- The value of the dispute is 200% of the income per capita or the equivalent in localcurrency of USD 5,000, whichever is greater.- The seller sues the buyer before the court with jurisdiction over commercial casesworth 200% of income per capita or $5,000.- The seller requests the pretrial attachment of the defendant’s movable assets tosecure the claim.- The dispute on the quality of the goods requires an expert opinion.- The judge decides in favor of the seller; there is no appeal.- The seller enforces the judgment through a public sale of the buyer’s movableassets.

Doing Business


Page 46

http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/enforcing-contracts

http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/enforcing-contracts

Enforcing Contracts - Trinidad and Tobago

Figure – Enforcing Contracts in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Ranking and Score

DB 2019 Enforcing Contracts Score

0 100







Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of enforcing contracts is determined by sorting their scores for enforcing contracts. Thesescores are the simple average of the scores for each of the component indicators.

Figure – Enforcing Contracts in Trinidad and Tobago – Time and Cost

Antiguaand

Barbuda

Dominica Grenada Jamaica LatinAmerica

&Caribbean

OECDhigh

income

Trinidadand

Tobago

0200400600800

1000120014001600

Tim

e (d

ays)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Cost

(% o

f cla

im v

alue

)

476

27.1 681

36.0

68832.6

550

50.2

768.5 31.4

582.4 21.2

1340

33.5

Time (days) Cost (% of claim value)

Standardized Case

Claim value TTD 197,956

Court name High Court of Trinidad and Tobago




OECD highincome


Time (days) 1340 768.5 582.4 None in 2017/18

Cost (% of claim value) 33.5 31.4 21.2 None in 2017/18

Quality of judicial processes index (0-18) 8.0 8.5 11.5 None in 2017/18


Page 47

Figure – Enforcing Contracts in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Measure of Quality

Trinidad and Tobago

Antigua and Barbuda

Dominica

Grenada

Jamaica

OECD high income


0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14Sub-Indicator Score

2.5 2 0.5 3

2.5 3 1.5 4.5

2.5 3 1.5 4.5

2 3 1.5 4.5

2.5 1 0.5 4.5

2.5 3.1 2.3 3.6

2.4 2.1 0.9 3.5

Alternative dispute resolution (0-3) Case management (0-6) Court automation (0-4) Court structure and proceedings (-1-5)

Details – Enforcing Contracts in Trinidad and Tobago

Indicator

Time (days) 1340

Filing and service 85

Trial and judgment 1195

Enforcement of judgment 60

Cost (% of claim value) 33.5

Attorney fees 30.4

Court fees 0.1

Enforcement fees 3

Quality of judicial processes index (0-18) 8.0

Court structure and proceedings (-1-5) 3.0

Case management (0-6) 2.0

Court automation (0-4) 0.5

Alternative dispute resolution (0-3) 2.5


Page 48

Details – Enforcing Contracts in Trinidad and Tobago – Measure of Quality

Answer Score

Quality of judicial processes index (0-18) 8.0

Court structure and proceedings (-1-5) 3.0

1. Is there a court or division of a court dedicated solely to hearing commercial cases? No 0.0

2. Small claims court 1.5

2.a. Is there a small claims court or a fast-track procedure for small claims? Yes

2.b. If yes, is self-representation allowed? Yes

3. Is pretrial attachment available? Yes 1.0

4. Are new cases assigned randomly to judges? Yes, but manual 0.5

5. Does a woman's testimony carry the same evidentiary weight in court as a man's? Yes 0.0

Case management (0-6) 2.0

1. Time standards 1.0

1.a. Are there laws setting overall time standards for key court events in a civilcase?

Yes

1.b. If yes, are the time standards set for at least three court events? Yes

1.c. Are these time standards respected in more than 50% of cases? Yes

2. Adjournments 0.0

2.a. Does the law regulate the maximum number of adjournments that can begranted?

No

2.b. Are adjournments limited to unforeseen and exceptional circumstances? No

2.c. If rules on adjournments exist, are they respected in more than 50% of cases? n.a.

3. Can two of the following four reports be generated about the competent court: (i) time todisposition report; (ii) clearance rate report; (iii) age of pending cases report; and (iv) singlecase progress report?

No 0.0

4. Is a pretrial conference among the case management techniques used before thecompetent court?

Yes 1.0

5. Are there any electronic case management tools in place within the competent court foruse by judges?

No 0.0

6. Are there any electronic case management tools in place within the competent court foruse by lawyers?

No 0.0

Court automation (0-4) 0.5

1. Can the initial complaint be filed electronically through a dedicated platform within thecompetent court?

no 0.0

2. Is it possible to carry out service of process electronically for claims filed before thecompetent court?

No 0.0

3. Can court fees be paid electronically within the competent court? No 0.0

4. Publication of judgments 0.5

4.a Are judgments rendered in commercial cases at all levels made available to thegeneral public through publication in official gazettes, in newspapers or on theinternet or court website?

No

4.b. Are judgments rendered in commercial cases at the appellate and supremecourt level made available to the general public through publication in officialgazettes, in newspapers or on the internet or court website?

Yes

Alternative dispute resolution (0-3) 2.5

1. Arbitration 1.5


Page 49

1.a. Is domestic commercial arbitration governed by a consolidated law orconsolidated chapter or section of the applicable code of civil procedureencompassing substantially all its aspects?

Yes

1.b. Are there any commercial disputes—aside from those that deal with publicorder or public policy—that cannot be submitted to arbitration?

No

1.c. Are valid arbitration clauses or agreements usually enforced by the courts? Yes

2. Mediation/Conciliation 1.0

2.a. Is voluntary mediation or conciliation available? Yes

2.b. Are mediation, conciliation or both governed by a consolidated law orconsolidated chapter or section of the applicable code of civil procedureencompassing substantially all their aspects?

Yes

2.c. Are there financial incentives for parties to attempt mediation or conciliation(i.e., if mediation or conciliation is successful, a refund of court filing fees, incometax credits or the like)?

No


Page 50

Resolving Insolvency

studies the time, cost and outcome of insolvency proceedings involving domestic legal entities. These variables are used tocalculate the recovery rate, which is recorded as cents on the dollar recovered by secured creditors through reorganization, liquidation ordebt enforcement (foreclosure or receivership) proceedings. To determine the present value of the amount recovered by creditors,

uses the lending rates from the International Monetary Fund, supplemented with data from central banks and the EconomistIntelligence Unit. The most recent round of data collection was completed in May 2018. .

Doing Business

DoingBusiness

See the methodology for more information


Time required to recover debt (years)

Measured in calendar years•Appeals and requests for extension are included•

Cost required to recover debt (% of debtor’sestate)

Measured as percentage of estate value•Court fees•Fees of insolvency administrators•Lawyers’ fees•Assessors’ and auctioneers’ fees•Other related fees•

Outcome

Whether business continues operating as a goingconcern or business assets are sold piecemeal

•

Recovery rate for creditors

Measures the cents on the dollar recovered bysecured creditors

•

Outcome for the business (survival or not)determines the maximum value that can berecovered

•

Official costs of the insolvency proceedings arededucted

•

Depreciation of furniture is taken into account•Present value of debt recovered•

Strength of insolvency framework index (0- 16)

Sum of the scores of four component indices:•Commencement of proceedings index (0-3)•Management of debtor’s assets index (0-6)•Reorganization proceedings index (0-3)•Creditor participation index (0-4)•


To make the data on the time, cost and outcome comparable across economies,several assumptions about the business and the case are used:

- A hotel located in the largest city (or cities) has 201 employees and 50 suppliers.The hotel experiences financial difficulties.- The value of the hotel is 100% of the income per capita or the equivalent in localcurrency of USD 200,000, whichever is greater.- The hotel has a loan from a domestic bank, secured by a mortgage over the hotel’sreal estate. The hotel cannot pay back the loan, but makes enough money tooperate otherwise.

In addition, evaluates the quality of legal framework applicable tojudicial liquidation and reorganization proceedings and the extent to which bestinsolvency practices have been implemented in each economy covered.

Doing Business


Page 51

http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/resolving-insolvency

Resolving Insolvency - Trinidad and Tobago

Figure – Resolving Insolvency in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Ranking and Score

DB 2019 Resolving Insolvency Score

0 100







Note: The ranking of economies on the ease of resolving insolvency is determined by sorting their scores for resolving insolvency. Thesescores are the simple average of the scores for the recovery rate and the strength of insolvency framework index.

Figure – Resolving Insolvency in Trinidad and Tobago – Time and Cost

Antiguaand

Barbuda

Dominica NoPracticeGrenada

Jamaica LatinAmerica

&Caribbean

OECDhigh

income

Trinidadand

Tobago

00.5

11.5

22.5

33.5

44.5

Tim

e (y

ears

)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Cost

(% o

f est

ate)

3.0

7.0

4.0

10.01.1

18.0 2.916.8

1.79.3

2.5

25.0

Time (years) Cost (% of estate)



OECD highincome


Recovery rate (cents on the dollar) 26.2 30.9 70.5 None in 2017/18

Time (years) 2.5 2.9 1.7 0.4 (Ireland)

Cost (% of estate) 25.0 16.8 9.3 1.0 (Norway)

Outcome (0 as piecemeal sale and 1 as goingconcern)

0 .. .. ..

Strength of insolvency framework index (0-16) 11.0 7.1 11.9 None in 2017/18


Page 52

Figure – Resolving Insolvency in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Measure of Quality

Note: Even if the economy’s legal framework includes provisions related to insolvency proceedings (liquidation or reorganization), theeconomy receives 0 points for the strength of insolvency framework index, if time, cost and outcome indicators are recorded as “no practice.”

Trinidad and Tobago

Antigua and Barbuda

Dominica

Grenada

Jamaica

OECD high income


0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14Sub-Indicator Score

4.5 2.5 3 1

2 2 1 0

2 2 2 0

4.5 2.5 3 1

4.5 2.5 3 1

5.3 2.8 2.2 1.9

3.7 2.4 1.9 0.8

Management of debtor's assets index (0-6) Commencement of proceedings index (0-3) Creditor participation index (0-4)Reorganization proceedings index (0-3)

Figure – Resolving Insolvency in Trinidad and Tobago and comparator economies – Recovery Rate


0

20

40

60

80

100

Reco

very

rate

(cen

ts o

n th

e do

llar)

26.236.8

29.3

0.0

65.9

30.9


Page 53

Details – Resolving Insolvency in Trinidad and Tobago

Indicator Answer Score

Proceeding receivership Upon Mirage's default on the secured loan, there will be a stay period of 10 days for Mirage toattempt to negotiate and reorganize its financial affairs. In the meanwhile, BizBank is likely toimmediately appoint an interim receiver and in the terms of the debenture to take control of allcharged assets of Mirage. Since BizBank is a major creditor, it is also likely that it will not supportreorganization and instead will appoint a usual receiver who will conduct piecemeal sale of theassets under protection and guidance of the High Court.

Outcome piecemeal sale The appointed receiver will try to sell the business as a going concern. However, it is unlikely tohappen considering the market condition in Trinidad and Tobago. The sale of the assets will takeplace informally as there are usually no auctions.

Time (in years) 2.5 The receivership proceeding takes approximate 2.5 years until BizBank is repaid some or all ofthe money owed to it. The delay is largely due to potential objections from debtors and thedifficulty to find buyers of Mirage's assets.

Cost (% ofestate)

25.0 The cost associated with the case would amount to approximately 25% of the value of the debtor'sestate. The main components of the cost incurred include attorney fees and receiver fees.

Recovery rate(cents on thedollar)

26.2


Page 54

Details – Resolving Insolvency in Trinidad and Tobago – Measure of Quality

Even if the economy’s legal framework includes provisions related to insolvency proceedings (liquidation or reorganization), theeconomy receives 0 points for the strength of insolvency framework index, if time, cost and outcome indicators are recorded as “no practice.”Note:

Answer Score

Strength of insolvency framework index (0-16) 11.0

Commencement of proceedings index (0-3) 2.5

What procedures are available to a DEBTOR when commencing insolvency proceedings? (a) Debtor mayfile for bothliquidation andreorganization

1.0

Does the insolvency framework allow a CREDITOR to file for insolvency of the debtor? (b) Yes, but acreditor may filefor liquidationonly

0.5

What basis for commencement of the insolvency proceedings is allowed under theinsolvency framework?

(c) Both (a) and(b) options areavailable, butonly one of themneeds to becomplied with

1.0

Management of debtor's assets index (0-6) 4.5

Does the insolvency framework allow the continuation of contracts supplying essential goodsand services to the debtor?

No 0.0

Does the insolvency framework allow the rejection by the debtor of overly burdensomecontracts?

Yes 1.0

Does the insolvency framework allow avoidance of preferential transactions? Yes 1.0

Does the insolvency framework allow avoidance of undervalued transactions? Yes 1.0

Does the insolvency framework provide for the possibility of the debtor obtaining credit aftercommencement of insolvency proceedings?

Yes 1.0

Does the insolvency framework assign priority to post-commencement credit? (a) Yes over allpre-commencementcreditors,secured orunsecured

0.5

Reorganization proceedings index (0-3) 1.0

Which creditors vote on the proposed reorganization plan? (b) Only creditorswhose rights areaffected by theproposed plan

1.0

Does the insolvency framework require that dissenting creditors in reorganization receive atleast as much as what they would obtain in a liquidation?

No 0.0

Are the creditors divided into classes for the purposes of voting on the reorganization plan,does each class vote separately and are creditors in the same class treated equally?

No 0.0

Creditor participation index (0-4) 3.0

Does the insolvency framework require approval by the creditors for selection orappointment of the insolvency representative?

Yes 1.0

Does the insolvency framework require approval by the creditors for sale of substantialassets of the debtor?

Yes 1.0

Does the insolvency framework provide that a creditor has the right to request informationfrom the insolvency representative?

Yes 1.0

Does the insolvency framework provide that a creditor has the right to object to decisionsaccepting or rejecting creditors' claims?

No 0.0


Page 55

Labor Market Regulation

presents detailed data for the labor market regulation indicators on the website( ). The report does not present rankings of economies on these indicators or include the topic in the aggregateease of doing business score or ranking on the ease of doing business.

Doing Business Doing Businesshttp://www.doingbusiness.org

The most recent round of data collection was completed in May 2018. .See the methodology for more information


(i) whether fixed-term contracts are prohibited forpermanent tasks; (ii) maximum cumulative durationof fixed-term contracts; (iii) length of theprobationary period; (iv) minimum wage.

Hiring

(i) maximum number of working days allowed perweek; (ii) premiums for work: at night, on a weeklyrest day and overtime; (iii) whether there arerestrictions on work at night, work on a weekly restday and for overtime work; (iv) whethernonpregnant and nonnursing women can worksame night hours as men; (v) length of paid annualleave.

Working hours

(i) whether redundancy can be basis for terminatingworkers; (ii) whether employer needs to notifyand/or get approval from third party to terminate 1redundant worker and a group of 9 redundantworkers; (iii) whether law requires employer toreassign or retrain a worker before making workerredundant; (iv) whether priority rules apply forredundancies and reemployment.

Redundancy rules

(i) notice period for redundancy dismissal; (ii)severance payments due when terminating aredundant worker.

Redundancy cost

(i) whether law mandates equal remuneration forwork of equal value and nondiscrimination based ongender in hiring; (ii) whether law mandates paid orunpaid maternity leave; (iii) length of paid maternityleave; (iv) whether employees on maternity leavereceive 100% of wages; (v) availability of five fullypaid days of sick leave a year; (vi) eligibilityrequirements for unemployment protection.

Job quality


To make the data comparable across economies, several assumptions about theworker and the business are used.

- Is a cashier in a supermarket or grocery store, age 19, with one year of workexperience.- Is a full-time employee.- Is not a member of the labor union, unless membership is mandatory.

The worker:

- Is a limited liability company (or the equivalent in the economy).- Operates a supermarket or grocery store in the economy’s largest business city.For 11 economies the data are also collected for the second largest business city.- Has 60 employees.- Is subject to collective bargaining agreements if such agreements cover more than50% of the food retail sector and they apply even to firms that are not party to them.- Abides by every law and regulation but does not grant workers more benefits thanthose mandated by law, regulation or (if applicable) collective bargainingagreements.

The business:


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http://www.doingbusiness.org/

http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/methodology/labor-market-regulation

Labor Market Regulation - Trinidad and Tobago

Details – Labor Market Regulation in Trinidad and Tobago

Answer

Hiring

Fixed-term contracts prohibited for permanent tasks? No

Maximum length of a single fixed-term contract (months) No limit

Maximum length of fixed-term contracts, including renewals (months) No limit

Minimum wage applicable to the worker assumed in the case study (US$/month) 377.8

Ratio of minimum wage to value added per worker 0.2

Maximum length of probationary period (months) n.a.

Working hours

Standard workday 8.0

Maximum number of working days per week 6.0

Premium for night work (% of hourly pay) 0.0

Premium for work on weekly rest day (% of hourly pay) 100.0

Premium for overtime work (% of hourly pay) 50.0

Restrictions on night work? No

Whether nonpregnant and nonnursing women can work the same night hours as men Yes

Restrictions on weekly holiday? No

Restrictions on overtime work? No

Paid annual leave for a worker with 1 year of tenure (working days) 10.0

Paid annual leave for a worker with 5 years of tenure (working days) 10.0

Paid annual leave for a worker with 10 years of tenure (working days) 10.0

Paid annual leave (average for workers with 1, 5 and 10 years of tenure, in working days) 10.0

Redundancy rules

Dismissal due to redundancy allowed by law? Yes

Third-party notification if one worker is dismissed? No

Third-party approval if one worker is dismissed? No

Third-party notification if nine workers are dismissed? Yes

Third-party approval if nine workers are dismissed? No

Retraining or reassignment obligation before redundancy? No

Priority rules for redundancies? No

Priority rules for reemployment? No

Redundancy cost

Notice period for redundancy dismissal for a worker with 1 year of tenure 6.4

Notice period for redundancy dismissal for a worker with 5 years of tenure 6.4

Notice period for redundancy dismissal for a worker with 10 years of tenure 6.4

Notice period for redundancy dismissal (average for workers with 1, 5 and 10 years of tenure) 6.4

Severance pay for redundancy dismissal for a worker with 1 year of tenure 2.2


Page 57

Severance pay for redundancy dismissal for a worker with 5 years of tenure 11.9

Severance pay for redundancy dismissal for a worker with 10 years of tenure 28.2

Severance pay for redundancy dismissal (average for workers with 1, 5 and 10 years of tenure) 14.1

Job quality

Equal remuneration for work of equal value? No

Gender nondiscrimination in hiring? Yes

Paid or unpaid maternity leave mandated by law? Yes

Minimum length of maternity leave (calendar days)? 98.0

Receive 100% of wages on maternity leave? Yes

Five fully paid days of sick leave a year? Yes

Unemployment protection after one year of employment? No

Minimum contribution period for unemployment protection (months)? n.a.


Page 58

Business Reforms in Trinidad and Tobago

In the past year, observed a peaking of reform activity worldwide. From June 2, 2017, to May 1, 2018, 128 economiesimplemented a record 314 regulatory reforms improving the business climate. Reforms inspired by have been implementedby economies in all regions. The following are reforms implemented since 2008.

Doing BusinessDoing Business

Doing Business

= reform making it easier to do business. = Change making it more difficult to do business.Doing Business

DB2019

Paying Taxes: Trinidad and Tobago made paying taxes more costly by increasing the corporate income tax rate.

DB2018

Paying Taxes: Trinidad and Tobago made paying taxes costlier by increasing the rates for the environmental tax and social securitycontributions paid by employers.

DB2016

Getting Electricity: Trinidad and Tobago made getting electricity more costly by introducing a capital contribution toward connectioncosts.

DB2015

Starting a Business: Trinidad and Tobago made starting a business easier by introducing online systems for employer registration and taxregistration.

Getting Credit: Trinidad and Tobago improved access to credit by adopting the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, which establishes cleargrounds for relief from a stay of enforcement actions by secured creditors during reorganization procedures as well as a time limit for thestay.

Resolving Insolvency: Trinidad and Tobago made resolving insolvency easier by introducing a formal mechanism for rehabilitation,establishing a public office responsible for the general administration of insolvency proceedings and clarifying the rules on appointment oftrustees.

DB2014

Starting a Business: Trinidad and Tobago made starting a business easier by merging the statutory declaration of compliance into thestandard articles of incorporation form.

DB2013

Registering Property: In Trinidad and Tobago property transfers became faster thanks to speedier issuance of clearance certificates bythe Water and Sewerage Authority.

Trading across Borders: Trinidad and Tobago reduced the time to export and import by launching the ASYCUDA World electronic datainterchange system and simplifying the process for obtaining a certificate of origin.

DB2012

Dealing with Construction Permits: Trinidad and Tobago made dealing with construction permits costlier by increasing the fees forbuilding permit approvals.

DB2008

Getting Credit: Trinidad and Tobago’s private credit bureau added utility companies as providers of information, improving access to creditinformation.

Paying Taxes: Trinidad and Tobago made paying taxes less costly for companies by reducing the corporate income tax rate.


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