-Jagdeo says in response to Council’s tax waiver plan

CENTRAL Government is standing firm on its position that it will not support Mayor Alfred Mentore and the APNU+AFC-aligned councillors of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council’s financial regulation, which is aimed at waiving interest on outstanding rates and taxes within the capital city.

People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo reaffirmed this position on Thursday during a press conference at Freedom House.

Speaking on Mayor Mentore’s position that he is ready to defend his position, should the matter be taken to court, Jagdeo told the residents of Georgetown that the PPP, in particular the party’s councillors on the City Council, support assistance for the ordinary people, but it must be done in a transparent manner.

Pointing out the questionable nature of the City Council, he highlighted the fact that it has failed to pursue a $6.4 billion debt owed by a company affiliated with the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), which has not paid taxes for years on its properties in Georgetown.

“So let me make it clear, we are not supporting a scheme that APNU wants to put in City Hall to rip people off again,” Jagdeo said.

Further, Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, SC, recently lashed out at Mayor Mentore and APNU+AFC-aligned councillors of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council for what he has described as a blatantly illegal attempt to waive interest on outstanding property taxes, linking the move to a politically motivated scheme aimed at enriching a select few aligned with the opposition.

Speaking during his weekly programme, ‘Issues in the News’, on Tuesday, Nandlall made it clear that the Council has no legal authority to implement any such a waiver.

“It is the express intention of the Georgetown Mayor and some of the councillors to promulgate a financial regulation by which they intend to waive interest on outstanding rates and taxes,” the AG said, stressing that such power rests solely with Parliament, and not with the local council.

He explained that the Mayor and City Council is governed by the Municipal and District Councils Act, which authorises the imposition of interest on unpaid taxes, at rates specified by Parliament.

Nandlall explained that there is no provision in the law that allows the M&CC to waive this interest, adding that any attempt to do so would be unconstitutional, and in breach of financial regulations.

“If Parliament wanted to give the Council the authority to waive that interest, it would have specified so—along with the terms and conditions under which such waivers could occur. That has not been done,” Nandlall said.

He warned that any councillor who proceeds with the scheme could be held personally liable, along with any beneficiaries who may profit from the move.

“They will have to account for the monies involved. That is the law of Guyana,” the AG said firmly.
Nandlall went further to allege that the plan is part of a wider scheme to provide financial relief to certain wealthy individuals with long-standing arrears to the City Council.

“This is not being driven by any benevolent motive. This is a scheme to help a few selected persons who owe large amounts of money, including massive sums in interest,” the AG said.

He pointed to what he called the “duplicitous nature” of the APNU+AFC-aligned council, accusing it of engaging in political gimmickry and backdoor dealings while disregarding the Rule of Law.

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Sonia Parag had also echoed these concerns, labelling the Council’s actions “unlawful and unauthorised”.

In a letter dated March 26, 2025, she cited the Municipal and District Councils Act, Cap. 28:01, which grants exclusive authority to make financial regulations to the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development.“The Law is unambiguous,” Parag wrote, referencing Section 146(1) of the Act: ‘The Minister may make financial regulations for controlling and managing financial business of councils.’

She criticised the Mayor for acting unilaterally, without consulting her office and misrepresenting legal provisions.Parag warned of legal consequences, stating that any unlawfully waived sums would be recovered through civil proceedings against the responsible parties, and reported to the police for appropriate action.

Adding to the mounting criticism, PPP councillors within the M&CC have also rejected the unilateral move, calling it not only illegal, but a deliberate political stunt aimed at misleading citizens.