[ad_1]
– The mayor said at the statutory meeting
The move by the opposition-controlled Georgetown mayor and city council to offer tax breaks to political parties was prompted by a letter from the Alliance for Change (AFC).
According to reliable sources, Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore has disclosed the news to the City Council.
Despite the failure of the “cash-strapped” Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to meet the expectations of Georgetown residents, the Mayor has unabashedly defended the tax exemption for political parties despite strong opposition, saying the organisations needed a “break”.
However, the decision was met with strong resistance from People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) lawmakers who called attention to several worrying issues facing the parliament.
A letter penned by PPP/C MP Steven Jacobs noted that Monday’s decision, driven by members of the Opposition, proves to every citizen of Georgetown and indeed Guyana that “like father, like son.”
“On August 26, at the statutory meeting of the Mayor and Councillors (M&CC) of Georgetown, a ridiculous, self-serving and disgraceful party agency tax rate policy was rammed through the approval process,” Jacob said.
He believes it is “hypocritical” for a political party to demand that every citizen pay their dues, even imposing the death penalty for non-compliance, yet have the audacity to create policies that allow political parties to pay just 25% of original dues while continuing to benefit from the only core service provided (garbage collection), albeit in an inconsistent manner.
Jacobs then said: “As a councillor, I am always clear and open to any ideas or suggestions from other councillors as I sincerely believe in the need for deliberation and different opinions. However, the well-being of all citizens must be the top priority. Therefore, while the matter was referred to us by Mayor Mr. Mentor at the request of the People’s National Congress Party’s coalition partner, the Alliance for Change, it was decided that the matter would be discussed further, but the outstanding rates must be properly resolved.
“I want to make it very clear that the PPP/C MPs expressed strong opposition on Monday the 26th and stated all the reasons including that the document was self-centered, not in the best interest of citizens, an abuse of power, hypocritical, etc. and even pleaded with our fellow MPs while pointing out that the document had many flaws.”
He then said there must be something else behind this as it was revealed that PNCR was the main cause of City Hall’s financial woes, with debts exceeding $6.7 billion.
“The citizens of Georgetown and indeed Guyana should take this opportunity to examine the significance of what is happening before their eyes. It is no secret what the agenda of this People’s National Congress Party-led parliamentary leadership is, but what I can promise as a People’s Progressive Party/Congress Party MP is that we will continue to fight and advocate for the betterment of Georgetown,” Jacobs said.
It is noteworthy that at a recent press conference, the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/Communist Party, Dr. Jagdeo, exposed the illegal activities of the People’s National Council/Revolutionary Party while responding to the recent decision of the party’s municipal councillors to reduce the party tax rate.
A policy paper offering institutional tax rates to political parties was tabled during a statutory sitting of Parliament on Monday, but it was immediately rejected by PPP MPs.
“We dug a little deeper and it seemed like there was a concrete reason for this proposal. Congress Place was owed $6.7 billion and they were on notice for that money.
“How did you get a tax rate of up to $6.7 billion? Apparently, they did not pay it for a long time and the interest has accumulated and now they have to pay this huge amount,” the BJP general secretary said.
The PPP secretary general further pointed out that in addition to the taxes owed by the party headquarters in Sofia, the party also owes debts on three other properties.
According to Dr Jagdeo, the party owes taxes of $1.2 million, $988,000 and $3.5 million respectively on the properties and the recent policy amendments will deprive the citizens of Georgetown and major town councils of their dues.
Mayor Mentor dodged questions on whether PNC/R’s Capitol and Sophia properties were registered under the name of Maikwak Limited and denied any knowledge of accounts indebted to $6.7 billion in the name of PNC/R in comments published by Demerara Waves on Friday.
“I will say that to my knowledge, the People’s National Congress for Reform does not have a single account that is $6.7 billion in debt,” Mentor told the Demerara Waves programme.
[ad_2]
Source link
