Senior Political Reporter
A Valuation Tribunal will be appointed within the next month or so, according to Finance Minister Colm Imbert.
He confirmed this during Monday night’s Senate debate on the Property Tax Amendment Bill. It was passed.
Independent Senator Anthony Vieira and Government senators voted for it. Independent Senator Helon Francis and the Opposition voted against. Richards, Maharaj, Deoroop Teemal and other Independents abstained.
Richards endorsed the tax in principle. But he said it’s now a political football with misinformation and people are confused.
Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein recently questioned the status of the Valuation Tribunal adding, that he’d confirmed from the President, that none was yet appointed.
On Monday, Imbert deemed as “fiction” the absence of the Valuation Tribunal. He said, “When you want to challenge a valuation, you don’t go to the Valuation Tribunal … The Commissioner of Valuation can either reduce it, confirm it, reject your thing or accept your complaint. It’s after that, the Valuation Tribunal kicks in.”
Imbert said since the process of issuing valuations only occurred a few months ago, the Commissioner of Valuations has 12 months to deal with it.
“And I assure you they’re not going to hustle this thing … if someone objects, they’ll obviously have to go and visit and measure the place,” he said.
He said he accepted that 12 months may be too long.
“But there’s no requirement for the Valuation Tribunal at this point in time and I’m satisfied based on everything that I know a Valuation Tribunal will be appointed within the next month or so—which will still be eight or nine months before the complaints are sent to the Valuation Tribunal,” Imbert added.
Dismissing as “hysteria”, Opposition criticisms on the tax, Imbert added, “Not one word by UNC Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial was truthful, I never heard so many untruths in my 32 years in Parliament! If I had to address what she said I’d be here for six hours! Everything she said was untrue!”
Imbert said Section 27:2 of the Property Tax Act of 2009 Bill “puts paid” to what he called UNC untruths—including on signs in their constituencies—about people’s heirs losing their property if they can’t pay.
He said impoverished people who inherit property can apply for a full waiver of accumulated tax. He explained if the Board of Inland Revenue is satisfied with the impoverished condition of the heir to an estate and their inability to improve this by age, impaired health or other special circumstances, the BIR can recommend and Cabinet can authorise the total or partial exemption of the tax, “Wiped off, they don’t have to pay!” he added.
“The UNC keeps pretending that section isn’t in the laws! That takes care of that whole section of people who are afraid. This debate is about fear—the UNC’s trying to frighten the elderly and impoverished people that government will seize your property!”
Imbert added, “Yes there have been persons sufficiently disturbed and frightened by the Opposition’s untruths—but what’s the real problem with the tax? Is it unexplained wealth?”
He said one of the reasons why people are uncomfortable about property tax is that it’s very difficult to evade.
“In many countries, the reason why people may be uncomfortable about this tax is because they have to explain their wealth and how they acquired all these properties,” Imbert explained.
He confirmed the tax will be in addition to regional corporations’ subventions and under the local government system, citizens can demand accountability on what their property tax is spent on.