Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall today said the municipality is exploring the option of securing a very small percentage of taxes paid to central government by quarries operating in the township — a move, he believes, would put the “green town” on a stronger economic footing.
Appearing on the National Communications Network’s (NCN) radio programme ‘INSIGHT’, Marshall said while the quarries support the national economy, a very small percent of the taxes can be used to continue the transformation of the new town.
“We looked at the numbers and we realised that if we would receive one or two percent of the taxes paid by these quarries to the central government, it will make a tremendous impact in our town. We will be able to take care of our roads, our bridges, and do what we were mandated to do.”
According to the mayor, there are currently four quarries operating in Bartica. “If the township benefits from the lowest point, it will take us a long way. It is something we have started a discussion on and we hope that we will be able to access some additional funds,” he said.
Mayor Marshall said the support from central government has been overwhelming as the town has been making strides with the annual subventions and grants. The finances, he said, have allowed the municipality to keep things such as property taxes at a minimal cost. According to the mayor, Barticians are still enjoying paying the taxes at the rate it has been for years before Bartica became a town. All this remains while residents receive a higher quality of service, he added.
Dubbed the “green town”, the Mayor said Bartica is working tirelessly to maintain that status. The fact that the town is also the “gateway to mining”, makes the work a little challenging.
Appearing alongside the mayor was his deputy Arita Embleton. She commended the residents of Bartica for working with and for the development of the further development of the town. (Extracted and modified from the Department of Public Information)
