Property tax for dog house: No such thing

MINISTER of Finance Colm Imbert has said, "No such thing," in respect to payment of property tax for doghouses, fowl pens and duckponds on their land.

This followed a statement by opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who sought to make a general statement on what fell under property laws under a section 3A in the Property Tax Act Amendment Bill.

The Ministry of Finance, in a release, said the act has to do with each townhouse, condominium or single commercial acommodation being seen as land and would therefore be valued and assessed separately for purposes of Property Tax.

Imbert said he simply responded to the query by clarifying that properties would be valued according to the value of the land and the buildings on it.

He added that the minimum annual rental value in the bill of $18,000 a year would result in property tax of $40 a month, and would not have to be paid for each item mentioned by the opposition leader. The property would instead be valued at the total cost of the land and the buildings on it.

The release said at no time did the minister say or even suggest that property owners would have to pay for doghouses, fowl pens or duckponds. He said therefore, material produced suggesting that those were his statements were extremely misleading.