As City woes persist…
THE financial woes of the Georgetown Municipality persist, with Mayor Hamilton Green admitting that one of its major problems being the failure to recoup funds. He told a statutory meeting of the City Council, on Tuesday, that no institution can run without money and at least three dozen entities have not paid taxes.
Mr. Green was adamant that a significant amount of delinquent taxpayers in the capital are Government owned properties, from which no revenue owed was received for the second and third quarters of this year.
He said efforts to contact the Minster of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, failed.
But Green maintained that all outstanding salaries would be paid if arrears payments are made.
He said the Government has sold several properties and, at the same time, removed the obligation to pay taxes on them, by passing a 1998 law which relieves the sellers of the burden of paying to get certificates of compliance.
Green emphasised that his removal from office is not an option.
“What is necessary, at this time, is for Government to pay up the $41.2M owing as taxes to City Hall, because, in order for works to be undertaken, there must be money,” he declared.
Green reiterated the need for citizens to exercise care in disposing of waste in this time of crisis.
Concerned over the potential for diseases spreading through insects, rodents and animals rummaging garbage bins, he urged: “As you dispose of your waste, sprinkle a formalin solution or jeyes fluid to prevent them disturbing it.”
General Secretary of the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL), Mr. Lincoln Lewis, who was present in the Council Chamber spoke of the need for accountability by Government bodies.
President of Guyana Local Government Officers Union (GLGOU), Mr. Andrew Garnett noted that the Council is taking serious steps to ensure that its employees are not abandoned on the streets.
Chartered Accountant, Mr. Christopher Ram remarked that the issues confronting the Council are not new.
He said: “The state of the city and the health of our citizens should propel us into action and development.”