PM's pre-budget statement commits to repeal of Property Tax

Press Secretary Gavin Nicholas issued a media release Tuesday afternoon on behalf of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, responding to the statements made by Opposition Leader, Dr Keith Rowley.

The "pre-budget statement" calls Rowley's statements "unfortunate".

In media reports Tuesday Rowley suggested that the government is trying to fool citizens by its statements that it will repeal the PNM imposed Property Tax.

Read the story: Rowley wants PM to explain tax proposals

"I wish to give the people of Trinidad and Tobago the absolute assurance that there has never been, and will never be on my watch, any instance of attempting to ‘fool’ people," the media release said.

It added, "The era for that has ended, and the citizens of this country showed their clear agreement with that when they placed their faith in our integrity on 24th May.

"When I referred to elements of the upcoming Budget, with respect to what is intended for property taxes, I was straightforward and specific in my statement:

• the property tax as planned by the previous administration will not be proposed by us; we will repeal it
• we will revert to the method of taxing lands and buildings as obtained before the PNM’s intended change
• those detailed calculations we will present during the budget debate
• we will give taxpayers a moratorium so that they will not have to pay in 2010

"It is therefore downright pointlessly childish for Dr Rowley to obfuscate my statements, and then attempt to play games of ‘gotcha!’.

"He seems intent to trying this misdirection with every step the Government takes, when we are the ones clearly exerting all humanly available energy to walk on the straight and noble path of serving the people properly.

"It is Dr Rowley who is making as if he doesn’t understand what I am saying, then shamelessly seeking to lay blame elsewhere. That seems to be his case of ‘playing smart with foolishness’," the media release added.

It went on, "The details of our political principles, administrative policies, and fiscal plans will be presented first in our Budget Speech of Wednesday 8th, further spelt out in our supporting Budget Documents laid in the House, then fully ventilated and elaborated upon in our ensuring Budget Debate over the next days and likely weeks.

"Additionally, we will go to the Nation through all practical channels of communications and community, to provide more explanations, take comments and questions, give answers, allay concerns, listen and learn, wholeheartedly and transparently submitting ourselves to share in the Dialogue of Democracy, an approach which I have espoused throughout my public life and which my Administration has now fully embraced.

"We ask for the Nation’s patience and participation as we go through this exercise of getting our financials right.

"I understand anticipation and anxiety, even on the part of some of our own team-members.

"But we invite those who are genuinely civic-minded and committed to Trinidad and Tobago, to lay down the weapons of distraction, and take up the tools of construction, to band together in the task of Nation-building for which we are all responsible."