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Hours after Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley broke news of the Government’s move to introduce and approve legislation to approve a new property tax bill, Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar said he fully supported the initiative. Ramadhar had been among the leading critics of the Property Taxes Bill introduced by the former PNM government in 2009. Ramadhar said it was not true to say that the Government was reintroducing the property tax. “The property tax which they (PNM) envisaged, we have removed that.”
He was questioned by reporters during yesterday tea break of the House of Representatives sitting at the Red House in Port-of-Spain. He said the People’s Partnership Government was reverting to the law as it obtained before the property tax. Told that it was just a change of name as the two bills were very similar, Ramadhar quickly responded: “Not at all, not at all.”
Told that the new bill proposed a seven-and-a-half per cent rate of tax for residents as opposed to three per cent under the PNM bill, the Legal Affairs Minister said: “Well, I am saying that we are returning to what was there before, which the population had found comfort in and had found great fear in the legislation they brought. “That’s as simple as I could put it,” he insisted. Ramadhar, who is expected to speak in the debate, said he could not comment on the details of the People’s Partnership bill. “What I am saying is that we are returning to the original position.”
Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley says the People’s Partnership Government is moving to approve a new property tax bill. Rowley, who called a news conference at his Charles Street office in Port-of- Spain yesterday to announce the development, declared: “This is a betrayal.” During the May 24, 2010, election campaign, the People’s Partnership was critical of moves by the then PNM government to revise and rename the tax and promised it would be abolished if they were elected to government.
The Congress of the People (COP), one unit in the People’s Partnership coalition, led an “axe-the-tax” campaign. Rowley said yesterday: “In the dead of night, on the eve of Carnival, the Government slips this bill (Lands and Buildings Taxes Act) into Parliament.” He said the People’s Partnership was elected to govern this country because of its election promise to abolish the tax. Since the PP assumed power, there has been an amnesty on the tax and residents have not been paying it.
Rowley said the taxes were necessary to assist in the development of the country. He said the new bill proposes to increase the tax by more than 100 per cent of what the former PNM government had proposed. Rowley, reading from the new bill, said residential property tax would increase from three per cent under the former government to seven-and-a-half per cent annually. He added that the bill contained a provision for the Minister of Finance to subsequently increase the tax by a further three per cent to ten per cent.
He described the move as “the worst betrayal that can happen in the political environment in T&T.” Rowley said the Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration had squandered its mandate. “As they have laid this before the Parliament, even before they debate or pass it, this Government has now destroyed its legitimacy in the eyes of the population,” he said. He added that the PP had “no moral basis to hold on to office in this country or to govern the people of this country.”
The Opposition Leader said whether it was called land and building tax or property tax, it is the same. He also said the bill proposed by the PP retained many of the provisions contained in the Property Tax Bill, including a provision to forfeit the property of non-paying residents. Rowley said under the former property tax, the University of the West Indies, the University of T&T, the University of the Southern Caribbean and cemeteries were exempt from the tax, but in the new bill only UWI was exempt. He said “under no circumstances” would the Opposition support the proposed legislation, which required a simple majority for passage.
He said the PNM was not saying the tax was not necessary, but was of the view “that this Government has no moral authority to take this action against the people.” Rowley said citizens of T&T should not allow themselves to be taxed until there were fresh elections. He said two years ago when citizens had jobs and the economy was stronger, they were told not to pay the three per cent tax. Former finance minister Karen Tesheira had predicted that the PP Government would have to bring property tax, even if it was called by another name.
crazybalhead wrote:The census people ask yuh how much yuh would rent yuh prperty for Elite???
crazybalhead wrote:The census people ask yuh how much yuh would rent yuh prperty for Elite???
SUPAstarr wrote:"Well, I am saying that we are returning to what was there before"
the prime minister on news last night declared that they are repealin the property tax act, i call BS by Rowley until i see different. To me rowley is so ineffective, he lacks i dunno if credibility but he does not command my interest when he talks. PNM need to sort him out quick or get someone else/
eliteauto wrote:crazybalhead wrote:The census people ask yuh how much yuh would rent yuh prperty for Elite???
yea they tried that shot on me, I gave her a low figure but I'm sure many "this area stush yuhnno" gave larger figures
jhonnieblue wrote:i dont think they are goin back to the new property tax, but the reference he made to everyone will be comfortable is not comforting at all
my belief is they are going to raise the tax under the old laws
so we will still be paying more tax
fact is we a re losing revenue due to competing prices due to shale gas in the states
our main revenue is going down at a rpaid rate
oil is no longer where it used to be wrt our economy
unless we diversify expect to see taxes increasing across the board
BlueIce wrote:lol guys i worked on the PTAX project and i am still employed under the ministry who is responsible for the project and all this sheit is just pure BS!!! i personally oversaw the scraping of multi-million dollar infrastructure put into place to support the PTAX system
so unless they gonna do it on paper ...lol this is jus normel bobol
PS : we are returning to the old land and builing tax
crazybalhead wrote:Northern South America is going to be the new land of milk and honey. mark my words, GUYANA/SURINAME/FRENCH GUYANA TIME NOW
BlueIce wrote:lol guys i worked on the PTAX project and i am still employed under the ministry who is responsible for the project and all this sheit is just pure BS!!! i personally oversaw the scraping of multi-million dollar infrastructure put into place to support the PTAX system
so unless they gonna do it on paper ...lol this is jus normel bobol
PS : we are returning to the old land and builing tax
tr1ad wrote:AX THE TAX
whe d sheep?
2baa
5onDfloor wrote:if they are indeed returning to what was already there then why the the need to pass legislation?
why not just enforce the law and start collecting?
PS. the Protax system is NOT dismantled.......everything is on paused just waiting to be resumed if need be.
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