Local government chairmen denies receiving property tax funds: We got nothing

Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation chairman Josiah Austin flatly denied receiving monies from the government through property tax.

In a media release on September 28, Austin said he had to respond to comments made by Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development Dr Kennedy Swaratsingh in the Senate on September 26.

Newsday also spoke to San Fernando mayor Robert Parris and the Penal/Debe Corporation chairman Gowtam Maharaj on the issue.

In response to a question from Opposition senator Faris Al-Rawi, Swaratsingh said 132,124 people paid a total of $135,534,838.81 in property tax as of May 2, 2025.

Austin said in the release, “The minister claimed that local government corporations have received monies collected by the government through property tax. I wish to state, clearly and categorically, that this is factually incorrect.”

He said, to date, the corporation had not received any monies and figures cited by the minister reflected past total collections.

However, the fact that the government abolished the property tax regime without offering alternative financing arrangements for local government bodies troubled Austin more, he said, in the release.

“Instead, we have seen a troubling pattern of vacillation, swinging between the idea of refunding taxpayers and promises to disburse collected funds to corporations.

“This situation has resulted in a situation where citizens who paid their taxes in good faith are no subsidising those who did not, with no clarity on how or if those funds will ever be put to use for the benefit of the communities from which they came?”

Austin added that it was not a matter of fiscal policy, but of equity and accountability.

The Tunapuna corporation continued to operate under increased financial strain in attempting to meet the needs of its burgesses without the resources promised or required, Austin said.

Roads, drains and public facilities needed repair, cleaning or maintenance, but the financial tools to address these were being withheld.

Austin said the property tax, when fairly and transparently administered, was a just and equitable one. He added that it was one of the few mechanisms that allowed for direct investment in local communities, but without proper governance, clear policy and guaranteed distribution, it would fail its purpose.

He called on the government to disburse the property tax funds already collected to the corporations.

Parris: Stop playing politics

San Fernando mayor Robert Parris also said that the corporation did not receive any money from the property tax. He said he was taken aback by the minister's statement.

He read an article in the media about it, which then prompted him to issue a statement on his Facebook page.

Parris said there was a meeting two months ago, in Tacarigua, and the CEOs, chairmen and mayors of corporations met with some technical staff, and they spoke about their finances as it pertained to the upcoming national budget.

He said some CEOs asked if they could request the money that was collected from property taxes and Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen told them to hold their hand on that and she would get back to them on it.

“No one, in the 14 municipal corporations, received any money, PNM or UNC, from the collection of property taxes.”

Parris said political bodies needed to stop playing politics with the population, because if there was no surplus revenue, then the local government system would fail.

“We all expect to get an overall cut in our allocation for the upcoming budget.”

He said corporations were still paying for projects from the year before because of tardy approvals from the ministry. These things severely affected the operations of local government.

The Property tax would have addressed issues like bad roads, overgrown drains.

Parris said it was his hope that the corporations would get use of the money collected.

Penal/Debe chairman: Wait on the budget

Chairman of the Penal/Debe corporation Gowtam Maharaj also spoke to Newsday on the matter and said the money collected would be incorporated through the budget process.

He added that he did not expect it through any other means.

“The policy has to be there and the financial amendment bill, the budget, is really the place where those things take place.”

Maharaj said he would hold his breath and wait until the budget to see what happens.

However, he said corporations were receiving releases and it was normal, at the budget time, that releases were done up to midnight before the financial year changes.

“The process is alive and working for what it is supposed to be doing.”

The chairman of the San Juan/Laventille regional corporation Richard Walcott also said that the corporation had not received any money.

In a release, Walcott said the figures given by Swaratsingh represented past collections.

“This situation is particularly frustrating given the government’s abandonment of the property tax system without providing a stable alternative funding mechanism for local government. We’ve seen a back-and-forth between promises of refunds and promises of disbursements, leaving citizens who paid their taxes, in good faith, to subsidise those who did not.”

Walcott, too, said there was no clear direction on how these funds would be used to benefit the communities from which they were collected.

He said, as he echoed in public meetings, that his corporation was under immense financial pressure to meet the basic needs of its burgesses.

“This lack of proper funding has serious and tangible disadvantages for our communities. Our roads are in disrepair, leading to increased traffic, vehicle damage and safety risks.”

He added that the area’s drains were clogged which heightened the risk of flooding when it rained heavily.

Newsday contacted Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo on September 28 for comment. He asked to give a return call at 2 pm.when Newsday called back, he said he was unable to speak as he was in meetings.

Swaratsingh was also contacted, but he said he had not read Austin’s statement and so could not respond adequately.

Calls to Ameen’s phone went unanswered.

Property Tax

The Property Tax was implemented under the People's National Movement (PNM) administration. It began in 2023 with the Notices of Valuation.

The United National Congress (UNC) opposition, at that time, strongly opposed the tax.

From February 2024 to May 2025, the Notices of Assessment were issued and taxes were collected.

When the UNC-led government was elected on April 28, the Property Tax was stopped.