[UPDATED] Imbert: Property-tax deadline to be extended

The deadline for the payment of property tax will be extended. The new deadline date will be announced on September 23, a week before the original deadline.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert made the announcement in the House of Representatives on September 20. He made the statement after the PM’s statement that consideration had been given to extending the date.

Dr Rowley said the government was pleased that people were trying to comply with the tax, despite “efforts put into encouraging them not to support the government’s improvement measures. The government will also want to acknowledge that at the end of the month there was a confluence of taxpayers attempting to make payments, both the property tax and the normal other taxes that are paid.

“As a result of this enthusiasm which focused at the end of the month, the government did consider that some sort of adjustment is required, and the Minister of Finance will adjust that very early in the coming week.”

In recent days there have been long lines at the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) and district revenue offices as people tried to meet the deadline to pay the tax. No Linx services have been allowed at BIR offices since September 16, to allow the closure of the BIR’s accounts for the end of the financial year. There has also been concern over criminals targeting people who have had to withdraw cash from banks to pay the property tax.

The PM was responding to a question from Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh, who asked if government was planning to extend the deadline, given the chaos and long lines experienced by people coming to pay the tax over the last month.

Imbert said the government was working on accepting methods of payment other than cash, personal cheques, and managers’ cheques by the end of October. “We expect by the end of October, we will be able to – well, not we, the Board of Inland Revenue, not me – will be able to accept payments by ACH, bank transfer, credit card.”

He was responding to a question from Naparima MP Rodney Charles, who said he was told at the Princes Town district revenue office that only cash and cheques would be accepted.

Imbert said there were two district revenue offices each in Port of Spain and San Fernando, where payment was accepted using Linx machine, personal cheques, manager’s cheques and cash. He said personal cheques, manager’s cheques and cash were accepted at the district revenue offices in Sangre Grande, Siparia, Chaguanas, Tunapuna, Couva, Rio Claro, Mayaro, Point Fortin and La Brea.

“With respect to payment, the BIR has told me cheques are accepted –both manager’s cheques and personal cheques – and there’s Linx in Port of Spain and San Fernando, and cash in all offices.”

There was some jovial confusion between Naparima MP Rodney Charles, who had moved almost to the end of the Opposition bench, and the Finance Minister, who was at the other end of the chamber.

In asking his question, Charles began by saying the question was directed at the Finance Minister, if he was there. Imbert responded by asking if Charles had a vision issue.

National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said the district revenue offices were receiving special focus from the police in light of the collection of property tax.

“Around heightened activities like Christmas, Carnival, long weekends, month-ends, fortnight paydays, the police service heightens its activity very generally. Wherever people are gathered, and there are large amounts of money known to the police, heightened security activity from police is always the practice.

“On this occasion, the commissioner of the Inland Revenue Department raised the issue a long time ago with the police, and the police are sensitive to the issues and treating (with) it.”

He said this was taking place in all areas where district revenue offices were located. “So far based on information available to me, there has not been any report of any particular robbery or larceny in relation to the matter.” However, on September 19, Acting Supt Edmund Cumberbatch of the South Western Division said bandits are targeting homeowners who are withdrawing cash for that purpose.

He said on Wednesday an elderly woman reported that she withdrew cash to go and pay the tax and took a private taxi to go to her destination. He said while in the car, she reportedly felt a tug on her purse, and on getting out, realised the envelope containing the cash was missing. Hinds said banks and financial institutions generally receive special police focus.

“They have internal security, and the police dealing with issues outside of that. There’s collaboration on the basis of intelligence between the internal security and the police.

“Recently the police have announced and have in fact intensified their anti-crime strategies, including mobile and foot patrols, the so-called joint army-police patrols, and inclusive of plain-clothes patrols paying particular attention to those kinds of institutions, targeting known and prolific offenders, including the regular snatchers and robbers who are known to them in certain communities and certain hotspots.”

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert has said there will be an extension to the deadline to pay property tax. He said this will be announced on September 23.

In recent days there have been long lines at the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) and district revenue offices as people tried to meet the deadline. No Linx services have been allowed since September 16, to allow the closure of the BIR's accounts for the end of the financial year.

The police have said as a result of people having to pay the property tax in cash, criminals have been targeting those withdrawing these sums from banks.

The minister said citizens will be able to pay via bank transfer and ACH in October.

Imbert was speaking in the House of Representatives on September 20.