‘Mouth open, story jump out’ – APNU+AFC plans countrywide property tax increases

Oct 31, 2018 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
The political parties, their local government election (LGE) candidates and political sycophants are presently out in full force, across the length and breadth of the country. One matter of importance in all eighty (80) local authority areas (LAAs) is property tax increases. The PPP/C’s national position – a position that all its local candidates firmly support – is they are unequivocally opposed to property tax increases in any of the LAAs. APNU and AFC clumsily deny any intention to increase property taxes, while simultaneously putting together the framework for massive increases in property taxes. Why else contract a Canadian Consultant firm for a new valuation system for property taxes around the country at a cost of US$1.5M (G$350M)? This exercise has started in New Amsterdam as the pilot LAA.
Last week, at a poorly attended APNU public meeting in their Georgetown stronghold, in front of the Stabroek Market, the PNC Chairwoman, Volda Lawrence, clearly took a side on this matter of national concern for citizens, no matter which community they live in. She chastised the PPP for promising no property tax increases, without stating clearly that APNU or the PNC opposed property tax increases in Georgetown, any of the municipalities around the country or any other LAA. It was a case of mouth open, story jump out.
The story that jumped out of Ms. Lawrence’s mouth was depressing – the PNC is not opposed to increases in property taxes and wants the option of property tax increases on the table in all the LAAs. In opening her mouth and letting the story out of the bag, there is a clear political distinction – the PPP/C wants the matter of property tax increases off the table, APNU wants it on the table. The AFC is trembling, desperately avoiding any discussion on this matter, while going along with the APNU+AFC plans, as announced in Budget 2018.
The property tax issue was raised during Budget 2018 by both the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Communities. When both of these ministers announced plans to introduce new valuation for properties in Guyana for the purpose of taxation, they signalled that APNU+AFC is planning massive property tax increases around the country.
Recognizing that the signal raised eyebrows and aroused a national resistance, APNU+AFC desperately tried to backpedal, by saying they have no immediate plans for an increase of property taxes, and that their plan to revamp property valuation has nothing to do with any intention to raise property taxes. They insisted they were simply raising the need for a better valuation system, insisting that the PPP/C’s conclusion that APNU+AFC plan to increase taxes was merely a PPP scare-tactic.
Most people did not buy this fancy story.
LGE 2018 is due in two weeks (November 12). As one crisscrosses the country, listening to what the local candidates and their national leaders are saying and listening to the community discourses, a number of issues and matters of concern are being raised, mostly by the residents and those candidates representing the PPP/C. The other candidates appear scared to address any of the matters of concern at the community levels.
Other than the property tax matter and dozens of local matters, like drainage and irrigation and community roads, there are other matters of great importance, including, but not limited to the Parking Meter travesty that the PNC-controlled Mayor and City Council (M&CC) of Georgetown intends to institute, the threat of increased tolls on the Berbice River Bridge – a threat that APNU and AFC are playing games with, the treatment of sugar workers, rice farmers, miners and land titling for Amerindians.
If you listen to APNU+AFC and their sycophants, you will not know that these and other matters are of interest to residents in the various communities. Candidates of APNU and the AFC are more obsessed with Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP, not focusing on any of these matters of interest to the people.
The property tax matter exposes the contrast between the PPP/C candidates and the other contesting candidates in LGE 2018. The PPP/C candidates around the country have made No-Property Tax Increases an unambiguous campaign promise. The candidates of APNU and AFC are avoiding a discourse on this and other matters or, in the few instances when they are forced to, they dance clumsily around the issues.
With property tax, however, the truth is hiding in plain sight – the PPP/C is opposed and APNU and the AFC want to increase the property taxes.
Dr. Leslie Ramsammy

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