City Hall moves to seize, sell properties of defaulting taxpayers

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City Hall moves to seize, sell properties of defaulting taxpayers

May 28, 2016 News

As part of an intense campaign to collect revenues owed to the Municipality, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, (M&CC) is moving to seize and sell properties of defaulting of rates and taxpayers.

According to a statement sent out by City Hall yesterday, the M&CC is expected to commence their intense operation as early as next week.
“The Town Clerk, with assistance of the court, will use the Parate Execution to collect outstanding sums owed by defaulting property owners,” the Council said in the release.
A Parate Execution is a remedy which allows the Council to seize and sell a property for the rates due in accordance with the Municipal and District Council Act.
M&CC Public Relations Officer, Debra Lewis, noted that Council has exercised lenience with defaulters via its three months amnesty project, in 2015.
Last year, the council reportedly collected over $400 million in outstanding rates and taxes during its amnesty phase.
Under the amnesty project, residential properties received total amnesty on interest, but companies and businesses were offered between 50 per cent and 75 per cent amnesty on tax interest.
Additionally, the Council would have encouraged defaulters to utilize the payment plan provided.
Still many businesses did not use the opportunity provided to them, and officials of City Hall are contending that this can no longer continue since hundreds of property owners are yet to pay their outstanding dues.
At present, the Council says that “four properties within the city collectively owe the Council in excess of $300 million.”
“Recently, the Council was granted judgment in the court against 14 property owners. A few of them came to the Municipality with their lawyers to settle their accounts; while there are those who have not contacted the Council.”
Additionally, the Georgetown Municipality has noted that owing back taxes is unacceptable since the M&CC continues to provide critical services to the citizenry which includes collection and disposal of waste, cleaning and desilting drains and canals, street lighting and public health services.
“This is (also) unfair to those citizens, who honour their civic obligation to the Council in a very timely manner,” the statement added.
It was recently reported that the City had run into financial problems which hindered it from paying its workers providing cleaning, garbage collection, drainage and irrigation and contractual security services.
“Therefore the Town Clerk is left with no other alternative but to implement Parate Execution to collect outstanding sums owed,’ the release outlined.

1 thoughts on “City Hall moves to seize, sell properties of defaulting taxpayers”

Dexter Abrams May 28, 2016 at 6:22 am

Congratulations to the city for this approach. This is exactly what all of Guyana needs . Not only Georgetown

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