THE EDITOR: I was flabbergasted to hear Dr Rowley and the PNM boasting that the proposed property tax would be the panacea for the funding woes of regional corporations.
According to the government, the money from this tax, when collected by the respective corporations, would be the principal source of funds for fixing roads, cleaning drains and the like.
Of course, the PM's audience applauded this misrepresentation wildly, since it was a PNM audience.
This is not the first time the PNM has sought to impose taxes which they know will hurt the nation. They did it three or four times with gas prices, lying that they will reduce them to reflect overseas price declines. So far, nothing on the horizon, even after OPEC cut oil production in the face of falling world prices.
Today, there are many driven to pauperisation by these increase in gas prices.
Then there was the disingenuous hype of the Road Improvement Tax that was supposed to ensure roads were maintained.
Alas, I see in the newspapers, people with placards standing next to huge potholes in Barrackpore. Even in the nation's capital, potholes abound. Take a drive on Queen Street if you don't believe me.
It's also instructive to note that when the same PNM imposed the six per cent Insurance Tax, the justification was that it would go into an Accident Compensation Fund, administered by, guess who, the Ministry of Finance.
LOL, I dare anyone to call that ministry and ask about that fund. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been any account by the government on this Insurance Tax, except credits to the Consolidated Fund.
And yes, there is the prime minister shouting out resolutely: "We not closing down Petrotrin!"
The PNM would have people believe that only in the year 2023, the various corporations have now seen a myriad of problems which government's only solution is a property tax to fund the fixing of these problems.
My final point is, if the rental value of properties is the basis to quantify the rates for property tax, can't this breed geographical unfairness and inequity?
Consider people, including retirees, living in and around Port of Spain who may be forced to pay "city status" or "city level" property tax whereas someone living in the bush may actually pay less tax. How can this be fair?
Conversely, a regional corporation with less infrastructure but equal or greater bad roads and poor drainage, may actually collect less revenue from the property tax since rental values may be lower in this corporation than rental values for, let's say, Port of Spain Corporation. How can this be fair?
The Prime Minister's statement that regional corporations and boroughs will see new life with the property tax, is simply grand charge. The people deserve better from their government instead of another tax to follow the rise in gas prices.
LINDA CAPILDEO
St James
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