‘Budget’ by Ravi B Finds New Life Amid Trinidad & Tobago 2026 Tax Hikes
Ravi B’s Budget, first released in November 2016, has regained traction among Trinidad and Tobago listeners, underscoring how socially conscious music can endure long past the moment that inspired it.
The resurgence comes in the wake of the 2026 Trinidad & Tobago national budget announcement on October 13, when the government confirmed one of many fiscal adjustments: customs duties on alcohol and tobacco products have been doubled. Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo specified that duties on rum and spirits will increase from TT$79.25 to TT$158.50 per percent of alcohol, a measure projected to generate roughly TT$1 billion in additional government revenue.
The tax increase is reminiscent of the 2016–2017 Budget, when economic pressures prompted a 20% rise in excise duties on locally produced and imported spirits. Then, as now, citizens faced higher prices in an already constrained economy.
Ravi B released Budget, just two weeks after the 2016 announcement, with its music video timed for Trinidad Carnival in February 2017. The track, written by Ravi B and conceived in collaboration with Karma, drew melody from Ravi B and, in large part to Sweet Melodies (Suriname).
With its now-iconic refrain: “they raise the price of rum in the budget, nooooo”, the song perfectly captures both the humor and frustration of a population while underscoring how economic policy filtered into everyday life.
During Carnival 2017, Budget climbed to #14 on the Apple Music Trinidad & Tobago Top 100 and reached as high as #6 on the Apple Music (World) chart in Trinidad & Tobago. Since then, Budget has never truly left the Apple Music (World) chart in Trinidad and Tobago. Its intermittent presence has cemented it as a quintessential track in the nation’s musical lexicon.
More recently, Budget resurfaced on the Apple Music (World) chart in July, landing at #181. But now, its sharp rise is unmistakably tied to the 2026 Budget announcement. Following the government’s confirmation of new fiscal measures on Monday, the song reappeared on Tuesday, at #64, before vaulting to #21 the very next day, its highest position in more than five years.
The parallel between 2016 and 2025 is striking. Then, the increase signaled moderate fiscal tightening; today, the near-100% customs duty hike represents a more decisive effort to balance the national accounts. In both periods, Budget’s streaming data in Trinidad and Tobago confirms its role as a mirror of the country’s life, times, and collective mood.
As we move through the 4th Quarter of 2025, Budget proves less a relic of nostalgia than a testament to relevance. Bridging humor, critique, and impeccable timing, the track honors our storytelling roots while feeling as fresh today as it did during Carnival 2017, once again leaving its mark on the charts.
Listen to Budget and more from Ravi B.
Budget, produced by: Ravi B and Anil Bissambhar @ BassLab
Keys: Ravi B
Rhythm: Anil Bissambhar
Mixed: Anil Bissambhar and Professor Bounty Target
Mastered: Professor Bounty Target
