It was recently reported that Mayor Alfred Mentore intends to approach the Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh, to arrange a meeting between City Council and the Valuation Division to approve a valuation and revaluation process.
Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Dr Jagdeo highlighted that this appears to be a calculated strategy by the PNC-led City Council to sow discomfort and dissatisfaction among residents in the city.
In fact, he pointed out that this pattern has been observed in the past, driven by the PNC especially during an election year.
“I notice this, what seems to be an innocent gesture on the part of the mayor to collect more taxes for the people, for the city council. But I’m sure behind this wall is directions from APNU.
First of all, why would you want to do a revaluation of properties in Georgetown this year? We have made it very clear that there will be no revaluation of any property which means higher taxes for people,” he stated in his press conference held at Freedom House, Georgetown.
Dr Jagdeo further elaborated, stating this move mirrors the coalition’s previous actions during their time in office, where they managed to implement a revaluation process in New Amsterdam – where taxes were increased by 100 per cent.
Against this backdrop, GS Jagdeo said it is crucial to remind residents that the PPP/C Administration has consistently opposed tax hikes and is committed to prevent any such occurrences under its governance.
“Residents of Georgetown must know that the PNC, the Congress place, wants their taxes to go up, the rates and taxes,” the PPP GS pointed out.
Dr Jagdeo also addressed Mentore’s statement that persons with outstanding debts can engage the city council directly. However, he believes this is merely ‘a recipe for corruption’, since it is possible for persons to walk away with different deals.
For instance, “Two businessmen may owe $10 million in taxes, but one has to pay $1 million and the other maybe half a million dollars. They get the recipe. And so, “I would urge the citizens of Georgetown not to go in here and negotiate any payment directly to the mayor or his offices that he may assign to those,” he urged.
The PPP general secretary also informed reporters that there is growing concern among religious organizations, in which they have received demand notices of increased tax demands.
According to him, while tax collection is a commendable move, it must be conducted in a fair manner and not disproportionately target specific groups.
“The city council budget could be, they can fund two years of city council’s expenditure from just collecting taxes from Congress place. Congress place owes $6.8 billion or $6.5 billion, somewhere between there. And they just brush that under the carpet and now go and they’re going after religious organizations… The People’s Progressive Party will not support this,” he stressed.
Dr Jagdeo reiterated his government’s stance that no revaluation process will be approved in Georgetown or in any part of Guyana. (Department of Public Information)
