Committee to come up with proposals to make horse-racing viable
Government has set up a task force to come up with proposals to turn around the fortunes of the racing industry.
Trade and Industry Minister Stephen Cadiz presented the nine members of the committee with their letters of appointment at his Port of Spain office last week.
The committee, which is headed by Mike Scott and made up of stakeholders in the racing industry, will study three task force reports which have been lying around for years, examine the recommendations and come up with a plan to put racing back on the right track.
The Task Force is expected to come with the proposals by the end of March this year.
Minister Cadiz has already indicated that he wants to see horse-racing becoming self sufficient and not depend on betting tax to keep afloat.
He recently warned stakeholders in the industry that they have two years (until 2014) to make racing a profitable venture otherwise Government will stop the $15 million a year subvention to the industry.
The committee includes the chairman of the Betting Levy Board (BLB), Kama Maharaj, Trinidad and Tobago Racing Authority chairman Derek Chin, Arima Race Club (ARC) president Hugh Lee King and representatives of the Stud Farm Association and Racehorse Owners Association.
