- Norman GrindleyLocal Government Minister Arnold Bertram, left, listening attentively yesterday to Clinton Davis, president of the Jamaica Government Pensioners' Association (JGPA).
Omar Anderson, Staff Reporter
THE Government is giving its pensioners a property tax break but when Local Government Minister, Arnold Bertram, made that announcement yesterday it was met with what seemed to be cynicism.
Mr. Bertram attended the 35th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Jamaica Govern-ment Pensioners' Association (JGPA), at Stephanie Hall in Kingston, bearing a gift of a temporary property tax break. It is not understood why his announcement was met with derisive laughter but that was what pensioners did. He told the pensioners that they could pay whatever money they could afford, of the amount they were assessed to pay, until appeals questioning those assessments have been heard. He didn't state how long the break would last, but he assured the more than 400 pensioners that the Government was trying its best to accommodate them, some of whom have been receiving an $11,000 pension monthly.
"There's no intention on the part of this administration to bring you any discomfort at this stage of your life," he said.
According to the Local Government Minister, pensioners, who are enjoying a special discretionary relief following appeals to the Ministry of Finance about payments made on the previous property tax assessments, will continue paying the discretionary rate until the end of the 2002-2003 fiscal year when all appeals would have been heard. The current fiscal year ends on March 31, next year.
"For those who are not in that group, you pay what you can on account," said the Minister, evoking much laughter from the pensioners. "I have no doubt at all that I'm speaking to a group of Jamaicans who I can afford to speak to in that way because of your sense of contribution," he said in response to the laughter.
Under existing Property Tax legislations, property owners who contest the amount of property tax they are required to pay, must deposit at least 75 per cent of the required amount, until their appeals have been heard and settled.
Commenting, on the Minister's announcement, Clinton Davis, who was unanimously re-elected president of the JGPA for the eight consecutive year, told The Sunday Gleaner that the Minister's address helped the retired workers understand more about their tax assessment and payments.
"It clarified some of the issues as far as the pensioners are concerned," he said. "They know more clearly where they stand."
In a bid to help clarify these tax assessments and payments, officers from the Ministry of Land and Environment which assesses properties, and the Ministry of Local Government which assesses amount of property tax to be paid, were present at the JGPA AGM to help pensioners sort out their difficulties.
Mr. Bertram had earlier told the pensioners that forms were available for them to fill out to contest their payments. He told them they could then submit these forms to their Parish Councils where parish review committees have been placed to look into their grouses.
In the meantime, some 1,000 property owners have so far queried tax assessments of their properties, since the Government recently announced new measures to increase property tax payments.
Mr. Bertram told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday that the 1,000 property owners represent persons whose properties fall in the value band $1 million to $10 million.
He said, however, that the figure he gave could escalate as he wasn't yet in a position to know the total number of queries parish review committees have been receiving regarding tax assessments/payments on their properties.
Following recent confusion over property tax assessments and payments, Mr. Bertram told Parliament nearly two weeks ago that the Government would not require property owners to pay the new tax as stated on their assessment notices, if it exceeds their provisional tax liability. They would instead be required to pay the provisional tax liability which is the average tax rate in each of the 11 value bands in which properties have been divided.
Meanwhile, the vexed issue of inadequate pensions dominated the AGM,
with the pensioners unanimously passing a resolution to petition the Government to index their pensions to present salaries being paid to persons in similar posts from which they retired.
One female pensioner who addressed the AGM during the question and answer segment, suggested that pensioners should get increased benefits since the salaries of parliamentarians have been increased.
