Property Tax in Trinidad & Tobago

[sMASH]

Square area by land use!

The assessment is based on how much the property can be rented for.

Rents follow area, location and amenities so assessments should, too. A two bedroom block house on 5000 Sq ft in Los Lomas doesn't rent for as much as a two bedroom condo with no land in One Woodbrook Place.

But if you built a 5 bedroom, 6 bathroom, 3 story house with a hot tub and a pool on 5000 Sq ft in Los Lomas, your taxes are going to be high for that neighborhood.
.

and if the Intention of the for the area to fund the government amenities that u use, the way u outfit ur property doesn't affect how much of the amenities that u use.
Whether u have a hot tub or a latrine, same road have to uses, same school have to uses, same police hadda come, same hospital is utilized.

So saying that because u fix ur house nice u should pay more for tax, has already been done any the VAT stage.

For adventures provided, the area u live is the only ting determining which amenities u use.


PNM people keep thinking that people with nice house must have big wuk to get it.
They don't understand that a lot of people inherited land, and developed the house over to elevate their comfort. And they still would have done so in a small salary.

Therefore to charge people a tax proportional to how much they developed their house on a yearly basis is penalizing them.

And the money to pay the taxes derived from the factors determining the rental value. 1000 brick at 15% VAT means u pay a tax proportional to what u spend, but it is one time.
U buy at any given time according to what u can afford.
But those bricks aren't generating a revenue. So, u have to get that money from a salary.
Which may not be much.

[hydroep]

Hard to believe this is the same man whose administration is implementing the Property Tax...

Rowley hits property tax
By SEAN DOUGLAS Sunday, December 20 2009

DIEGO Martin West MP Dr Keith Rowley believes that people from all walks of life are angry at the Government’s property tax which they blame on squandermania. Rowley was speaking on Friday in the Lower House on two bills to bring the new tax, the Property Tax Bill 2009 and the Valuation of Land (Amendment) Bill 2009.

He said, “In my constituency there is anger, anxiety and resentment, at both ends of the spectrum.”

Saying the property tax is obviously a revenue-raising measure, he said people are saying if the Government had better handled its largesse, there would have been no need for this tax.

“Stop taking your own advice that nobody is annoyed...,” he advised the Government. He said they have brought the tax at the worst possible time, alluding to tough economic times. He repeatedly said that people were not against the idea of paying taxes but were upset that this measure could have been averted if the Government had acted differently previously, in its expenditure.

Rowley lamented that the Government in this bill had not taken the opportunity to begin a paradigm shift in how local government is treated. He lamented that the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) model – which holds local officials to a greater accountability to citizens – has not been adopted for local councils in Trinidad.

Saying the lifeblood of performance is money, Rowley said without such reform in Trinidad, the introduction of property tax would likely not bring improvements to local communities. Adding that the Government has not come clean over the property tax, he said the country would only have to wait until people’s bills are paid in September to find out if it is in fact a serious revenue earner.

“I suspect the three percent will be on values considerably higher than being made out to be. You’ll get good values for most properties,” he said, forewarning of high tax bills.

Scoffing at claims that some people might pay less tax than they now pay, Rowley quipped, “Don’t bother to tax me; Pass on the benefit.”

Rejecting the Government’s claim that the tax promoted equity between different people, he said there was no equity in North-West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) CEO Agatha Carrington being sent on leave pending an audit, while Udecott executive director, Calder Hart, remains in office, despite revelations at the Uff Commission of Inquiry.

Rowley made the point that the property tax is being imposed for something that is not a revenue-earner for him, that is, his home. He said that through no act of their own, persons living on Diego Martin Main Road might have found the value of their house climb over the years to $1 million or $2 million, and now be liable to the property tax, despite never having any intention to sell it or rent it out.

“If you try to defend the indefensible, you’ll create resentment and provoke people, and that is what we have at the moment.”

Rowley said in areas of his constituency, such as Upper Cemetery Street, there are residents who must pay water rates despite the fact that no water flows in the water-pipes laid down four years ago. He said any hike in such water rates under the property tax would now amount to provocation.

Rejecting claims that the property tax won’t cause hardship, he said, “I know a lot of people for whom $100 is a lot of money. A lot are struggling to make ends meet.”

Alluding to talks this week between Acting Prime Minister Dr Lenny Saith and Jamaica Prime Minister Bruce Golding over Air Jamaica and Caribbean Airlines, he warned the Government not to fund Air Jamaica. He jibed that he would personally “mark” the dollar bills he was paying in property tax to ensure they were used for things such as hospitals and schools, not Air Jamaica.

http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/print,0,112858.html

[16 cycles]

...politics has a morality of its own...

[src1983]

Square area by land use!

The assessment is based on how much the property can be rented for.

Rents follow area, location and amenities so assessments should, too. A two bedroom block house on 5000 Sq ft in Los Lomas doesn't rent for as much as a two bedroom condo with no land in One Woodbrook Place.

But if you built a 5 bedroom, 6 bathroom, 3 story house with a hot tub and a pool on 5000 Sq ft in Los Lomas, your taxes are going to be high for that neighborhood.
.

and if the Intention of the for the area to fund the government amenities that u use, the way u outfit ur property doesn't affect how much of the amenities that u use.
Whether u have a hot tub or a latrine, same road have to uses, same school have to uses, same police hadda come, same hospital is utilized.

So saying that because u fix ur house nice u should pay more for tax, has already been done any the VAT stage.

For adventures provided, the area u live is the only ting determining which amenities u use.


PNM people keep thinking that people with nice house must have big wuk to get it.
They don't understand that a lot of people inherited land, and developed the house over to elevate their comfort. And they still would have done so in a small salary.

Therefore to charge people a tax proportional to how much they developed their house on a yearly basis is penalizing them.

And the money to pay the taxes derived from the factors determining the rental value. 1000 brick at 15% VAT means u pay a tax proportional to what u spend, but it is one time.
U buy at any given time according to what u can afford.
But those bricks aren't generating a revenue. So, u have to get that money from a salary.
Which may not be much.

I agree with this, but this would have to take into account 95% of residential houses in St Augustine will have to be classed as commercial

You can't have a man saying "oh I build my house over x years blah blah blah" then have 20 apartments on his property renting

[pete]

Interesting point about that New York article is that you can actually find out what property tax someone is paying. I SERIOUSLY hope that our system is that transparent that you can see what your neighbour is paying etc.

[car]

Interesting point about that New York article is that you can actually find out what property tax someone is paying. I SERIOUSLY hope that our system is that transparent that you can see what your neighbour is paying etc.

Will never happen.
There will be corruption in the system. And because of this you will never see how much your neighbour or anyone else paid.
Just like vehicle inspection. You ever see a bachoe, trailer truck come in license office to do an inspection?

[sMASH]

Square area by land use!

The assessment is based on how much the property can be rented for.

Rents follow area, location and amenities so assessments should, too. A two bedroom block house on 5000 Sq ft in Los Lomas doesn't rent for as much as a two bedroom condo with no land in One Woodbrook Place.

But if you built a 5 bedroom, 6 bathroom, 3 story house with a hot tub and a pool on 5000 Sq ft in Los Lomas, your taxes are going to be high for that neighborhood.
.

and if the Intention of the for the area to fund the government amenities that u use, the way u outfit ur property doesn't affect how much of the amenities that u use.
Whether u have a hot tub or a latrine, same road have to uses, same school have to uses, same police hadda come, same hospital is utilized.

So saying that because u fix ur house nice u should pay more for tax, has already been done any the VAT stage.

For adventures provided, the area u live is the only ting determining which amenities u use.


PNM people keep thinking that people with nice house must have big wuk to get it.
They don't understand that a lot of people inherited land, and developed the house over to elevate their comfort. And they still would have done so in a small salary.

Therefore to charge people a tax proportional to how much they developed their house on a yearly basis is penalizing them.

And the money to pay the taxes derived from the factors determining the rental value. 1000 brick at 15% VAT means u pay a tax proportional to what u spend, but it is one time.
U buy at any given time according to what u can afford.
But those bricks aren't generating a revenue. So, u have to get that money from a salary.
Which may not be much.

I agree with this, but this would have to take into account 95% of residential houses in St Augustine will have to be classed as commercial

You can't have a man saying "oh I build my house over x years blah blah blah" then have 20 apartments on his property renting

Business levy.
I can't lean on the people who don't have much, just to catch the the ones who do, of they have a business that's not making money, they won't be able that tax just like people who inherited and have s small income . If its generating an income , go right ahead. Get the tax returns and apply as necesssry.

SSo I don't have to apply s broad brush approach to generating tax revenue, u can be more prudent and fair to how and who u do.

But essentially, a rental value is I inappropriate at best, and mostly opportunistic

[assassin]

SSo I don't have to apply s broad brush approach to generating tax revenue, u can be more prudent and fair to how and who u do.

But essentially, a rental value is I inappropriate at best, and mostly opportunistic

Yes but it was deliberately designed that way
To leave room for subjectivity, manipulation and inequity

[src1983]

This maybe why they did it like this, cause if a guy renting 20 apartments on his property just paying tax on the land, what is to stop a commercial company like a mall doing the same?

[Dizzy28]

Mid year review coming up....any guesses what may happen?

Min of Finance technocrats much quieter this mid year review than last years. Really not sure what to expect nah.

[VexXx Dogg]

Mid year review coming up....any guesses what may happen?

Min of Finance technocrats much quieter this mid year review than last years. Really not sure what to expect nah.

You can expect this.

[bluefete]

Mid year review coming up....any guesses what may happen?

Min of Finance technocrats much quieter this mid year review than last years. Really not sure what to expect nah.

You can expect this.

LOL. So true. When yuh see 'Shortman' so quiet, we should all expect the worst!!!!

T&TEC rates supposed to raise too.

[GeneralHonda]

Got my form in the mail this morning.

[kjaglal76v2]

I'm not even a PNM supporter, but come on guys y'all find them figures bad?

$81/month?

The sky is not falling, PPG should have never allowed the collection of taxes to stop & it's been 7yrs

[drchaos]

I'm not even a PNM supporter, but come on guys y'all find them figures bad?

$81/month?

The sky is not falling, PPG should have never allowed the collection of taxes to stop & it's been 7yrs

Look I have no problem with property tax, I think based on rental value is not the best way of going about this. My other issues are that sections of society will be unfairly treated by this tax. HDC delinquents not paying this, squatters not paying this and no way in hell Syrian financiers paying their fair share.

Lastly you think they gonna stop at 3% of the rental value??? 7% is where they eventually want this. They boiling the frog slowly.

[car]

I'm not even a PNM supporter, but come on guys y'all find them figures bad?

$81/month?

The sky is not falling, PPG should have never allowed the collection of taxes to stop & it's been 7yrs

What about $540 and more a month?
You think that reasonable?

Agreed that the tax should have not stopped.

[crazybalhead]

Anybody else notice Mel B spicing up her sex life?? Anybody?? Beuller? Ok...back to the tax then.

[Allergic2BunnyEars]

Anybody else notice Mel B spicing up her sex life?? Anybody?? Beuller? Ok...back to the tax then.

That's one lucky nanny.

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

Guys need some assistance.

If someone has a High House and 5 Acres of Agriculture land and the house is on the same land what do you all estimate the tax will be for the year at 1%? how much could it be rented for and such?

Also why are they taxing people with land planted with Citrus? or diary farmers who using their land to graze? shouldn't the government be encouraging this type of long term crops and diary instead of discouraging it? considering the industry is nearly dead?

[car]

Guys need some assistance.

If someone has a High House and 5 Acres of Agriculture land and the house is on the same land what do you all estimate the tax will be for the year at 1%? how much could it be rented for and such?

I figure they will use residential rates for the lots the house on and the rest will be agriculture land. This is easiest and simplest.
Or
They might use residential for the 5 acres. Then you can contest it. But you would have to explain a house on agriculture land.

They definitely not going to use agriculture land for the 5 acres as a house is on it and because they will loose out on tax $$$

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

^ WOW OMG this keeps getting worse who the fck vote for these people?

[Slartibartfast]

I'm not even a PNM supporter, but come on guys y'all find them figures bad?

$81/month?

The sky is not falling, PPG should have never allowed the collection of taxes to stop & it's been 7yrs

Look I have no problem with property tax, I think based on rental value is not the best way of going about this. My other issues are that sections of society will be unfairly treated by this tax. HDC delinquents not paying this, squatters not paying this and no way in hell Syrian financiers paying their fair share.

Lastly you think they gonna stop at 3% of the rental value??? 7% is where they eventually want this. They boiling the frog slowly.

This is it right here. They looking to set a precedence with a bullsh!t law. Once they have it established all they have to do it continue to raise the rates little by little while joking that "Well... they not protesting yet".

[MADMAN1]

^ WOW OMG this keeps getting worse who the fck vote for these people?

x100

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

How long until this process is fully in effect? meaning when so do we start paying this new crazy rate?

[sMASH]

the wiggle room they have in the way in which to calculate this thing is quite large, comparable to what they they had intended in the initial presentation of the FATCA, to which the opposition recommended amendments sought to close.

[car]

How long until this process is fully in effect? meaning when so do we start paying this new crazy rate?

Payment will be due some time in September.

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

ok but I do not think they gonna charge the house at residential rate because the area is agriculture and the land is agriculture.

Currently I pay $75 a year for the house and the 5 acres of land it on.

Maybe under this new system it will be like $500 a year?

So allyuh who have to pay 3% and $900 a year for a flats residential how much allyuh currently paying right now?

[matr1x]

Question : who are the valuators? Who is to say what information they gathering?

[RASC]

These prices mashing allyuh up boy... Can you imagine the government trying to rob you of your hard earned 540dollars out of your potential 20k monthly rental.
Insanity. That coulda well go towards 10 shots at Paprika month end!!

[Mark!]

better then putting it in stink pnm pocket thats for sure.

man i rather throw away twice that amount of money than let those ghetto, never see come see government get it