A property tax valuation tribunal will be appointed within the next month or so, according to Finance Minister Colm Imbert.
He confirmed this during last night's Senate debate on the Property Tax Amendment Bill, which was eventually passed.
UNC MP Saddam Hosein had recently questioned the status of the valuation tribunal adding that he had confirmed from the President that none was yet to be appointed.
However, last night, Minister 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."
The Finance Minister said since the process of issuing valuations only occurred a few months ago, the Commissioner 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.”
Imbert said he accepted that 12 months may be too long and that may also have to be examined.