Hypocrisy of the Government Property Tax Amendments

Today, Friday 16th February 2018, the Rowley Administration will introduce by the Minister of Finance a suite of Bills for second reading in the Parliament including “An Act to amend the Valuation of Land Act, Chap. 58:03” And A Bill entitled, “An Act to amend the Property Tax Act, Chap. 76:04.”.

These various amendments essentially will attempt to answer the various points of objections raised in the legal challenge to the Property Tax in Devant Maharaj v Commissioner of Valuations and Attorney General – CV2017-01839-.
Interestingly in the Rowley Administration rush to pick the pockets of taxpayers with more and more taxes, the Government is introducing these various amendments while judgement is still pending in the courts on the legality of the present property tax legislation.

Remarkably the Government’s various proposed amendments reflect the issues of concerns raised by Attorney Anand Ramlogan S.C. in the submission to the court.

The fact that the Rowley Administration is bringing these amendments to the Parliament prior to the judgement on the Property Tax is instructive as it almost an admission that the objections to the Property Tax were substantial and the tax should only be considered when it’s legal architecture was in accordance with good law.

Without going into the details of the legal arguments the fact that these amendments are even tabled given the legal challenge to the Property Tax where the State is essentially arguing against similar measures the State is now proposing in the Parliament only underscores the hypocrisy of the State’s position.

Devant Maharaj