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City Hall extends tax amnesty period
…approx $400M in taxes collected so far
Business owners and residents, who are defaulting in their tax payments now have until October 31, to pay outstanding monies owed to the Georgetown Mayor and City Council,(M&CC) to avoid prosecution.
Deputy Mayor, Patricia Chase-Greene
The M&CC has extended the September 30 deadline to the new date. This now allows tax debtors additional time to honour their civic obligation of paying rates and taxes.
This new closing date has been approved by a special committee that was selected to oversee the affairs of the tax amnesty project.
Deputy Mayor, Patricia Chase-Greene; Town Clerk, Royston King; and Councillor, Junior Garrett are among officials on the committee.
Under the amnesty project, residential properties will receive total amnesty on interest, but companies and businesses must apply to the Council for between 50 per cent and 75 per cent amnesty on tax interest.
Deputy Mayor, Patricia Chase-Greene told Kaieteur News that the Council is trying to give persons and businesses another opportunity to bring their taxes up to date.
She said that many people, who had visited the Council, had requested more time to make payments, since they were awaiting bank loans.
Chase-Greene revealed that she was delighted with the daily turn out of persons at the council’s headquarters.
Although Chase-Green said that the project has been a success, she highlighted a few problems that are hindering the smooth flow of the process.
She pointed out that there is only one computer system at the Council being used to obtain information on the accounts of various residents and businesses. That same computer is also being used for cashing when persons are desirous of obtaining an electronic receipt instead of a handwritten one.
“Because of the system there is a build up… and the staff are not fully equipped to render the kind of service needed”, she added.
Chase-Greene said that the Council has already made arrangements to have certain departments reassessed.
According to Chase-Greene, the Council has collected approximately $400M in taxes from defaulting taxpayers. But she stressed that millions are still owed by residents and businesses.
The Deputy Mayor continued, “We are urging all to come out and pay for taxes owed and bring it up to date. We are flexing and I hope that people can flex. We need money to clean the city.”
When this new deadline has elapsed defaulting tax payers will be prosecuted.
The tax amnesty project was launched on September, 1, last and saw persons meeting with a panel to have their tax issues resolved.
Mayor Hamilton Green had explained that the Council has a framework, where residents and business persons can present their case, to the committee for waivers on interest in taxes owed within the past few years.
According to the Mayor the committee will ensure transparency and consistency in the process, as the Council seeks to garner substantial revenue to assist with their massive restoration project.
The amount of tax waivers to businesses will be decided based on investigations by the committee.
Amnesty will not be granted to businesses which had been part of the deliberate process to suffocate the Municipality under the previous administration, said the Mayor.
In addition, recently erected high rise buildings will not benefit from the amnesty, since the valuation for premises, is essential to the amount of the taxes owed to the Council.
The Council has noted that about 300 businesses are in default of paying taxes, this year.
The Georgetown M&CC, from time to time, has offered delinquent taxpayers waivers on tax interest through amnesty. The venture is seen as a method of collecting hundreds of millions.
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