Devant questions UNC on property tax

UNC activist Devant Maharaj is openly questioning what he says is the Opposition's commitment to any move by Government to implement property tax.

In a video posted on Facebook on Sunday, Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein and Opposition Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial sought to outline the UNC's position on property tax.

They said despite calls from Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar for Government to hold its hand on implementing the tax, it seems Government will do so when Finance Minister Colm Imbert presents the 2020/2021 budget in Parliament. Hosein and Lutchmedial, who are both lawyers, said many citizens have expressed concerns to them about the tax being implemented

Hosein reiterated the UNC's view that the implementation of the tax at this time would be "unwise and harsh."

He said the consequences of not paying property tax would be severe. According to Hosein, "Government has the power to levy on your personal belongings to recover property tax. That means they can seize your appliances and your furniture to recover that tax." He also claimed, "They can sell your property to collect their property tax."

Hosein explained that residential properties; commercial properties; agricultural properties; industrial properties (with plant and machinery in a building); and industrial properties (with plant and machinery not housed in a building) attract taxes of three, five, one, six, and three per cent of the annual rental value of the property, respectively.

Hosein said property taxes can only be collected when the Commissioner of Valuations advises Imber that 50 per cent of the lands in TT have been valued, and added there are questions as to what determines the criteria to indicate that this target has been achieved. He explained that by law, the owner of a property is obligated to pay property tax.

Lutchmedial said Housing Development Corporation (HDC) homeowners will be expected to pay property tax.

On whether the tax would be paid retroactively, Lutchmedial recalled that September 30, 2017 was the date originally set for the collection of property taxes.

Hosein and Lutchmedial were uncertain whether or not this would change when Imbert presents the budget.

In a Facebook post, Maharaj said, "It appears the UNC (via the video (of Hosein and Lutchmedial) is promoting, not protecting the citizen from the property tax."

He agrued, "Instead of fighting this draconian and oppressive tax, the Opposition UNC seems they decided they should assist the Government in rolling out this tax." He claimed the statements by Hosein and Lutchmedial suggest the UNC has surrendered on the property tax.

Maharaj, who has been openly critical of the UNC since it lost the August 10 general election, and has repeatedly called for Kamla Persad-Bissessar to resign as UNC leader, declared, "We cannot surrender to the PNM as these Opposition members have done."