Residents of the Rose Hall Division in the parish of St. James are being encouraged by the St. James Municipal Corporation to pay their property taxes and to settle outstanding balances, as recent analysis of the property tax compliance rate in the parochial division is indicating a high rate of non-compliance.
According to Regional Manager of Property Tax Compliance, Wendye Peterkin, approximately $90M is owed by residents of the Barrett Town, Barrett Hall and Lilliput communities which are situated in the Rose Hall Division.
“While we encourage everyone to pay property taxes, we also try to highlight the fact that non-compliance hinders the government s ability to serve communities effectively, as property taxes receipts pay for garbage collection, street lights, parochial road rehabilitation and beautification of communities… the Barrett Town and Barrett Hall communities now owe a total of 55M in property taxes while Lilliput owes a total of 39M” Peterkin said.
Peterkin made the revelation at a community meeting hosted by the St. James Municicpal Corporation in Lilliput on Sunday, February 18, 2018 at the Lilliput Welseyan Holiness Church, after one resident queried the reason for low property value in the Lilliput community.
Also present at the meeting was Councillor for the Division, Anthony Murray, Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Homer Davis, staff of the Corporation and representatives of the Registrar Generals Department, National Solid Waste Management Authority, St. James Public Health Department, Parish Development Committee, National Water Commission, Dispute Resolution Foundation and the St. James Fire Department.
The series of meetings being hosted by the Municipal Corporation is intended to facilitate public awareness and participation in the Corporation’s functions, responsibilities, and in general, foster better service delivery to its publics.
The next meeting will be held in the Montego Bay South East Division at the Farm/Rose Heights Community Centre, Farm Heights, Montego Bay on March 11, 2018. Meetings commence at 2:30pm.
Two Way Street: Regional Manager of the St. James Municipal Corporation’s Property Tax Compliance Unit, Wendye Peterkin, illustrates that the system of tax payment must be seen as an advantageous two-way street, where taxes are paid and better service delivery is expected. Peterkin suggested this while delivering a presentation on the “Importance of Paying Property Taxes” to residents of the Lilliput community at a Community Meeting hosted by the St. James Municipal Corporation at the Lilliput Wesleyan Holiness Church, Lilliput, on Sunday, February 18, 2018.