IN an effort to recoup monies needed for the payment of salaries, garbage collection and the procurement of materials and supplies for the city, the City Council has granted amnesty to errant tax payers, commencing September 15. Deputy Mayor of Georgetown, Robert Williams, made this declaration yesterday during a press briefing held at City Hall, where he implored all citizens to take advantage of this opportunity to clear outstanding monies owed to the Council.
He explained, “Council’s statutory meeting held on Monday approved the waiver of interest from September 15; once property owners are prepared to pay off all that is owed, they will be given a 100 percent waiver on interest; 14 days after, that will come to an end, and they will be given a 50 percent waiver; a further 14 days after, they will be given a 25 percent waiver.
Williams emphasised that once this period has expired, the Mayor and City Council will “viciously” take legal action against defaulters.
In addition to this, he noted too that those persons presently before the courts will also be given an option of settlement, providing they are prepared to pay off the demand in full and the legal fees associated with the prosecution in court.
There are presently 22 such cases pending, and according to Williams, this could amount to a $200M settlement.
As to the timely payment of City Hall workers this month, the Deputy Mayor disclosed that one of the main aims of the amnesty period is to facilitate the payment of salaries.
He said, “Based on the projections and based on statutory discussions and the initiatives which we have put in place, I see no reason why workers should not be paid on time this month.”