Deon P Green, Star writer
The St Thomas Parish Council is planning a major collection drive of land taxes and other licensing fees. The crackdown is being done to supplement an expected reduction in allocation from the local government ministry this financial year.
Reports reaching The Starare that of all the parish councils and municipalities the cash-strapped St Thomas council is one of lowest in terms of land tax collection.
land taxes
The decision follows a recent meeting of representatives of the local government minister and representatives of the parish council. A report from that meeting highlighted that while the Portmore Municipal collected 95 per cent of land taxes last financial year, St Thomas languished at the bottom of the collection table.
One other intended initiative of the St Thomas Parish Council to make compensation for shortfall in the budgetary allocation, is to charge a fee for each ton of sand coming out of the parish. This is expected to offset road repairs.
Chairman of the licensing authority in St Thomas,Vincent Marshall, also said that a large number of unlicensed bars are operating in the parish, robbing the government of revenue while posing a health risk to customers.
He said that many bars are operating in the parish without seeking a licence to do so and called on the police hierarchy to address the issue.
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