–party officials dodge questions on outstanding taxes

THE People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)’s top brass on Friday refused to respond to questions from the local media on its $6.7+ billion debt owed to the Georgetown City Council.
PNCR’s Chairman Shurwayne Holder and party Treasurer Elson Lowe remained tightlipped when confronted about the exorbitant debt during a press conference at Congress Place.

The party’s public relations officer further highlighted that the officials would only acknowledge questions regarding two separate statements that were read by the chairman and treasurer at the beginning of the news conference.
Despite the magnitude of the issue, neither Holder nor Lowe addressed the query regarding whether the Sophia headquarters property is owned by Maikwak Limited, the business that was the subject of the demand letter sent by the City Council.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that the PNCR has been a major contributor to the financial woes at City Hall, with debts in excess of $6.7 billion.

This was according to General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, during a press conference at Freedom House on Wednesday.
Dr Jagdeo exposed the PNCR’s delinquency while responding to a recent decision by the party’s city councillors to reduce tax rates for political parties.

On Monday, during the council’s statutory meeting, a policy document for institutional rates to be given to political parties was laid, which was immediately rejected by the PPP councillors.
It was also widely reported on many occasions that the PNCR-led City Hall has been cash-strapped for years, struggling, in some cases to pay staff, honour debts, and execute critical projects, among other things.
“We dug a bit deeper and it seems as though there is specific reason for this proposal. Congress Place owes $6.7 billion, and a notice was sent to them for this sum of money.

“How do you get rates and taxes up to $6.7 billion? Clearly, they didn’t pay for a long time and the interest accrued, and now they have to pay this huge sum of money,” the PPP General Secretary said.
The PPP General Secretary further pointed out that aside from the taxes owed for the party’s headquarters at Sophia, there are outstanding debts for three other properties owned by the party.
According to Dr Jagdeo, the party owes $1.2 million, $988,000 and $3.5 million for those properties, and the recent policy amendments are to deprive the citizens of Georgetown and the main Town Council of taxes that are due to them.
City Mayor Alfred Mentore skirted questions about whether the PNCR’s Congress Place, Sophia property is registered in the name of Maikwak Limited and in a comment published by Demerara Waves on Friday, he denied any knowledge of an account in the PNCR’s name that owes $6.7 billion.

“I am saying there is no account that I’m aware of under the People’s National Congress Reform that has a $6.7 billion dollar debt,” Mentore is quoted as saying in the Demerara waves.
PPP/C councillors, on Tuesday, expressed their strong disapproval for the recent decision by the political majority of the council for institutional rates for political parties.
The councillors, Alfonso De Armas, Patricia Chase-Greene and Steven Jacobs made this clear during a live broadcast programme recently.

“We totally disagree with it, we think all political parties should pay their rates and taxes because we’re asking ordinary citizens to do so,” Chase-Greene said.
Chase-Greene, who is a former mayor, added that the council constantly complains about not having money to carry out its basic functions, but is now asking to have political parties not pay their rates and taxes and noted how unfair such a system would be.

Meanwhile, Jacobs, when asked why they would oppose the move when it would bring benefits to their party as well, said that while they are members of the PPP, their mandate is representing the people of Georgetown.
“We hear every day that the APNU-led council calling for more help from the council… but we have a very clear case here that they are trying to make it easier on themselves,” he said.