Imbert: No property tax on police stations

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert has said police stations are exempt from paying property tax.

He was responding to a question from Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal during a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives on October 11.

The committee later approved a budgetary allocation of $2,598,277,200 for the police.

Moonilal asked whether a $5,000 figure within this allocation for house rates was property tax.

In response, Imbert said Moonilal was an educated man and an expert on property tax.

He added Moonilal would know that under section 16 (1)(f), of the Property Tax Act, "It is crystal clear, in the English language, in the language of this Parliament, that land belonging to and in occupation of the State or its servants is exempt.

"Therefore there is no property tax to be paid on police stations."

He added, "I am advised by the Budget Division (of the Finance Ministry) that this ($5,000 figure) is a residual tax owed from long ago.

"House rates and property tax are not the same. This is something from way back when."

Moonilal acknowledged Imbert's comment, saying, "That would be long before your time, that it would be so small."

Imbert replied, "Possibly. But you understand now that police stations are exempt from property tax?"

Section 16 of the Property Tax Act also exempts from property tax places including cemeteries, places of worship of any religious denomination, public hospitals, schools as defined under the Education Act and public asylums.

Later in the meeting, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds told Couva North MP Ravi Ratiram that the animals in the police Mounted Branch and Canine Unit were being properly cared for.

Ratiram asked about the care of these animals after saying the death of a kangaroo at the Emperor Valley Zoo in May had been the subject of "a cover-up."

Imbert asked Ratiram what was the relevance of that to discussions about national security expenditure.

Committee chairman Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George reminded Ratiram that allocations for the zoo fell under the Agriculture Ministry.

Ratiram is the opposition's shadow agriculture minister.

The committee will continue its deliberation on other allocations on October 14 from 10 am.