Property Tax in Trinidad & Tobago

[Average]

Ok so what do the valuators like most?

+ 1 (A) Curry, (B) Stew or (C) Bbq?

+ 2 (A) Beers, (B) Rum or (C) Whiskey?

+ 3 (A) Link for hoes, (B) Heavy discounts on store items or (C) Cash?

[viedcht]

So wait ah minute if you have a sign infront your house saying you does fix lawnmore, small engines or sell avon or those organo stuff or you does fix computers or fix TV etc or something like that.

What exactly will they do when they come and see that sign? could they charge you more on taxes? or even place you as 5% commercial?

I just guessing here... unless you have town & country planning approval for commercial / mixed (commercial & residential ) on the plot you just paying the rate according to residential use. They might just increase the arv of your residence if they see you running ah lil parlour or small biz.

[drchaos]

Ok so what do the valuators like most?

+ 1 (A) Curry, (B) Stew or (C) Bbq?

+ 2 (A) Beers, (B) Rum or (C) Whiskey?

+ 3 (A) Link for hoes, (B) Heavy discounts on store items or (C) Cash?

If you going to try to bribe someone its a smart idea to bribe the right person ...

The valuator just assigns a rental value he cannot strike your name off the property tax list.

[viedcht]

Ok so what do the valuators like most?

+ 1 (A) Curry, (B) Stew or (C) Bbq?

+ 2 (A) Beers, (B) Rum or (C) Whiskey?

+ 3 (A) Link for hoes, (B) Heavy discounts on store items or (C) Cash?

1- (D) All

2- (D) All

3- (C) Cash

[car]

Somebody link meh to all this freeness!!!!

Boy them same fellas when they come to install yuh internet could organize yuh sometimes they does even toss yuh lil hint and thing you need to take the bait and show them you just as corrupt.

As for the free WASA connection well that eh too hard just use yuh imagination on who wukking there and might have the equipment to do it. From what I hear is like $2200 for the WASA connection, free for life. Men in this country does even brag about paying less than that.

And if you want free T&TEC connection just move to the Beetham or Laventille and use jumper cables or heck just apply and doh pay any bill and they go be too afraid to cut you off, T&TEC stop going inside there to cut off people. Them eh wa get shoot off that pole, as a matter of fact if you move to the Beetham yuh won't even have to pay Property tax.

So the only ting missing is grocery. Tell meh more about the food card.

[jblx3]

Agricultural property is where the party is at it seems. Check out this calculator. http://property.tax.tt

[pete]

Have some questions:

Has anyone gone in to submit documents yet?
Does this have to be done in person or is there a drop off?
Are they verifying information if you drop it off and issuing a receipt with the date the documents were submitted?
If they are doing this, how will they do this for hundreds of thousands of properties in the next three weeks?

Okay mostly answered in this interview.


Guess I should try to get this done before the mad rush yes. They claim 2 minutes per person so the sooner ya do it the less you need to worry about.

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Look how food prices going sky high eh...when small farmers going n get jam with this tax...consumers would feel it..

Pnm supporters red and hungry

[88sins]

Ok fellas, I'm a tad curious about something. Doh blow a gasket over this question eh, i eh sleep since Thursday so I might be missing something.

I'm hearing persons saying that properties have to be valuated according to classification whether they be residential, commercial, agricultural, etc.
I'm hearing persons saying persons are asking about the square footage of a persons home, how many rooms, finishings etc, to ascertain the ARV of a building. I'm also hearing some people saying that the buildings are being valued so that they can be taxed as well. Now, here's where I'm a lil lost.

From what I can tell by going thru the legislation, the property tax act relates only to the ARV & ATV of the land, & not the building itself. The description/classification of any buildings on said lands are soley for the purpose of classification of that land to ascertain the land's ARV. The tax itself does not address tax payable on the building, only on the land & only by the usage made of it.
So what I'm puzzled about, is why use the ARV of a building to ascertain the ARV & ATV of a parcel of land? Is the building itself being taxed as well? If so I feel that's not entirely legal, as neither of the acts I posted below say anything about tax payable on buildings regardless of their classification, they both only address taxation of land. I posted the links to the documents that I went through below. Who & how does one calculate what the land a building is on should rent for, & for what purpose?

https://www.finance.gov.tt/wp-content/u ... t-2009.pdf
http://rgd.legalaffairs.gov.tt/laws2/al ... /76.04.pdf

[adnj]

“land” means—
(a) all land, messuages, tenements and hereditaments, corporeal and incorporeal, of every kind and description, or any estate or interest therein, together with all paths, passages, ways, water-courses, liberties and privileges;
(b) land covered with water; and (c) all buildings, or any part of any building, and all structures, machinery, plant, pipelines, cables and fixtures erected or placed upon, in, over, under or affixed to land;


“commercial land” means land
used for commercial purposes,
whether wholesale, retail or
service, carrying on a trade,
business or profession, and
includes land used or occupied by
a non-profit organization which
would, if the land were so used or
occupied by a trade or business, be
treated as commercial land, but
does not include agricultural
land;”;

“agricultural land” means land used for, or vacant arable land where the sole use may be for, the
following purposes:
(a) the cultivation of crops or
the rearing of livestock;
(b) the cultivation and
processing of food or food
products or rearing of
livestock; or
(c) horticultural use,
but does not include land used for—
(d) ornamental or recrea-
tional purposes or as
accommodation lands
for non-agricultural
purposes; or
(e) kitchen gardens;

Ok fellas, I'm a tad curious about something. Doh blow a gasket over this question eh, i eh sleep since Thursday so I might be missing something.

I'm hearing persons saying that properties have to be valuated according to classification whether they be residential, commercial, agricultural, etc.
I'm hearing persons saying persons are asking about the square footage of a persons home, how many rooms, finishings etc, to ascertain the ARV of a building. I'm also hearing some people saying that the buildings are being valued so that they can be taxed as well. Now, here's where I'm a lil lost.

From what I can tell by going thru the legislation, the property tax act relates only to the ARV & ATV of the land, & not the building itself. The description/classification of any buildings on said lands are soley for the purpose of classification of that land to ascertain the land's ARV. The tax itself does not address tax payable on the building, only on the land & only by the usage made of it.
So what I'm puzzled about, is why use the ARV of a building to ascertain the ARV & ATV of a parcel of land? Is the building itself being taxed as well? If so I feel that's not entirely legal, as neither of the acts I posted below say anything about tax payable on buildings regardless of their classification, they both only address taxation of land. I posted the links to the documents that I went through below. Who & how does one calculate what the land a building is on should rent for, & for what purpose?

https://www.finance.gov.tt/wp-content/u ... t-2009.pdf
http://rgd.legalaffairs.gov.tt/laws2/al ... /76.04.pdf

[VexXx Dogg]

The mamaguy is strong with KPB
https://www.facebook.com/HeliconiaFound ... 261887782/

[Dizzy28]

The mamaguy is strong with KPB
https://www.facebook.com/HeliconiaFound ... 261887782/

Irony is the Heliconia Foundation calling the other side Sheeple when they follow this guy

Rowley hits property tax
Published on December 20, 2009 in Finance, General T&T, PNM and Politics. 6 Comments Tags: Abuse, Calder Hart, Keith Rowley, Politics, Property Tax, T&T Govt, UDeCOTT.

By Sean Douglas
December 20 2009 – newsday.co.tt

Dr. Keith RowleyDIEGO 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.

[GeneralHonda]

What I am hearing is that if you worked hard and fixed your house to be comfortable you will pay for that vs those who decided to do nothing. This is the case in my area where since I started to work I did all remedial works to the house I inherited while my neighbours who are all former public servants did nothing. So I will pay more for my new ceilings, roof, air cons, tiles, etc. I should have done like my neighbours and leave the house as is and just buy expensive cars and travel.

[hydroep]

The thinking being that a well maintained property will fetch more rent. Like it or not the condition of your property, like the type and series of car you drive is an indication to the ignorant of how much you have, not how hard you have worked.

Using Rental Value as the basis for the Property tax also allows them to assess certain neighbourhoods differently, apportioning a higher amount of the overall tax to percieved wealthy ones vs. those less so. For example think of two identical properties, one located in the middle of Lange Park and the other in the middle of the Beetham. One guess as to which property owner would pay the higher tax. That "Everybody paying the same rate" statement being used to placate the population is a sham...

[matr1x]

The pnm crew out in full force. Out to lie to facilitate the robbing and persecution of those not of pnm type.


So hdc company will be paying property tax but not the residents. Guess who funds the hdc?

[88sins]

thanx adnj. dis insomnia killin meh. Now that cleared up.
Now I get it.

This tax appears to be just another way to squeeze a dollar out of everyone's pocket, while ensuring the state is under no obligation to provide any benefit to the tax payers for their dollars.
In other words, the usual Trini style of gorvament is alive & kickin.


Kickin every hard working Trini in dey nutz

[adnj]

This tax appears to be just another way to squeeze a dollar out of everyone's pocket...

Tax - A fee charged ("levied") by a government on a product, income, or activity. If tax is levied directly on personal or corporate income, then it is a direct tax. If tax is levied on the price of a good or service, then it is called an indirect tax. The purpose of taxation is to finance government expenditure.

The only way for a tax to benefit you is if the government benefits you.

[sMASH]

while speaking with an imposing tone, hema isn't actually pressing them to justify it as why use the rental value

this seems more like a promotional spot for the property tax, and not a challenge to it.

i am disappoint, hema.

[sMASH]

people doing ting. if u really upset, show it... don't just type a post online.

[bluesclues]

This tax appears to be just another way to squeeze a dollar out of everyone's pocket...

Tax - A fee charged ("levied") by a government on a product, income, or activity. If tax is levied directly on personal or corporate income, then it is a direct tax. If tax is levied on the price of a good or service, then it is called an indirect tax. The purpose of taxation is to finance government expenditure.

The only way for a tax to benefit you is if the government benefits you.

If government cant create and run profitable state businesses, how they will run a profitable country?

Rowley say the people need to wean themselves off dependencies on government. But government need to do the same and wean itself off it's dependencies on taxes. Not just spend money, but spend money to get return and still get projects you wanted done.

But to collect tax and just spend it into a hole that also requires yearly maintenance cost is just putting burdens on ppl who money done eh worth nothing already. This contracts thing. Cane/molasses and sugar we couldnt run profitable. We loss it now we have to import. I see we importing 'dasheen chips' from costa rica now and all. Why we not making and selling dasheed chips to the world like costa rica? Angostura importing rum concentrate to mix and make rum. What we really doing when we make high quality foreign goods inaccessible to locals? Not blocking them from having nice things and stay poor? The current model is just not working. This is a downward spiral that just hasnt snowballed yet. We as a country have economic and financial policies that move us in the opposite direction of growth by expectation. We will never be able to see stabilized prosperity with these policy directions. Not to mention the outdated views of the old heads in the current administrations. Them still living in 1972. This is not how you run a country. This is exactly how you drain a country of it's resources and end up in poverty and debt.

[drchaos]

The morning brew panel say they will take into account the actual use of the land.

I going and plant real cassava over the next few weekends yes!

[Average]

The morning brew panel say they will take into account the actual use of the land.

I going and plant real cassava over the next few weekends yes!

No need to rush, just dig up the soil and they'll think you have planted crops

[88sins]

This tax appears to be just another way to squeeze a dollar out of everyone's pocket...

Tax - A fee charged ("levied") by a government on a product, income, or activity. If tax is levied directly on personal or corporate income, then it is a direct tax. If tax is levied on the price of a good or service, then it is called an indirect tax. The purpose of taxation is to finance government expenditure.

The only way for a tax to benefit you is if the government benefits you.

we all know what a tax is adnj, but lets break this down a bit

Tax - A fee charged ("levied") by a government on a product, income, or activity.
A tax on income, I can tolerate, since most ppl earn income on a regular repeatable basis.
A tax on a product or activity I can tolerate, because it's something that people/businesses will generate on a regular basis.
How many times a private citizen gonna build a house to live in over their lifetime in todays economy?

If citizens of a nation are paying a tax, then that tax MUST benefit those citizens in some way or another, otherwise why institute & collect it in the first place? If it's not used to benefit the people,exactly what does the state plan to do with it? Just toss it down the usual bottomless abyss that provides no returns? If so it's just another means for the state looking to fabricate a revenue stream that could be utilized to no profitable end benefit of the general population.

The only way for a tax to benefit you is if the government benefits you.

Thats the thing, the elected officials are put there for a reason, to do a job, that being, to run a nation in such a manner as to protect & benefit all citizens, and to take steps that maintain and add strength to a nation's economy. They are put they by us, for us, to act in such a method that benefits us. Yes, we all must make sacrifices, sometimes in the form of taxes, or the removal of subsidies, etc. And from those sacrifices we should eventually receive benefits, IF the value of our sacrifice is put to good use. To not even attempt to do the job you were put there to do, that you told people you would do, is to disregard the purpose for being elected to do that job & that's basically all that happens in T&T. So basically in simpler terms, they say anything to get where they want to be, & to hell with the people that put them there after that. & from what I can see, this tax is not an attempt to do so. I could be wrong to think this way, but I'm going by what I've observed over the years. If I'm wrong, nobody would be happier than I, but observation has taught me to have no faith in a politicians intelligence or integrity, so I believe I may not be wrong to think this way.

IMHO, this property tax adds absolutely no strength to this nation's economy. It will generate revenue for the state, that is all. & we all see by now how the state handles it's revenue. Only if that revenue is used to develop & diversify the economy by means of introducing alternative profitable enterprises, & only when the dependency of the state on only 1 or 2 industries for this nations economic stability & capacity for revenue generation comes to an end, will this tax have any benefit to the masses this nation. & if they do not use it for such a purpose, or have no intention of doing so, then why place this additional hardship on the citizenry in the first place?

There are other methods of revenue generation the state can utilize that will net far greater results much faster than this one, without having to resort to the parasitic practice of taxing everybody for everything just because they worked hard to have something.

just my $0.02, ah crap, now they know I have that they go want to tax dat too.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

The morning brew panel say they will take into account the actual use of the land.

I going and plant real cassava over the next few weekends yes!

Small gardens and crops planted in mostly residential areas are considered "kitchen gardens" and do not qualify as agricultural property.

[drchaos]

The morning brew panel say they will take into account the actual use of the land.

I going and plant real cassava over the next few weekends yes!

Small gardens and crops planted in mostly residential areas are considered "kitchen gardens" and do not qualify as agricultural property.

Lot is empty except for crops.

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

^ I think you should clear down the lot and hire a tractor to plow it up and plant something. If its long term crops I dunno how they gonna view that. Like it have land in residential areas with mangoo trees etc but that doh mean its agriculture.

Maybe if you plant short crops they will think its agriculture? stuff like tomato or something. You need a tractor to do this, doing it on your own manually will be hard.

Zoom Rader has land but he gives it to farmers to plant and they take care off it and give him stuff when it bear. This is smart because taking care of land can be expensive and farmers already have equipment to do it.

[pete]

I believe it would only matter what the property is designated as by Town and Country. Can't just plant peas somewhere and say the land is agricultural.

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

I believe it would only matter what the property is designated as by Town and Country. Can't just plant peas somewhere and say the land is agricultural.

Well thats BS because residential areas in the East West corridor have the best soil in Trinidad and its idiots like them who use it to build houses.

How can they tell you that an entire vacant lot of land planted with short term crops is somehow residential? thats horse sheit and Anti Agriculture. That is like discouraging people from planting. The best place to plant in this country is those same residential areas that they took to build houses on.

[drchaos]

^ I think you should clear down the lot and hire a tractor to plow it up and plant something. If its long term crops I dunno how they gonna view that. Like it have land in residential areas with mangoo trees etc but that doh mean its agriculture.

Maybe if you plant short crops they will think its agriculture? stuff like tomato or something. You need a tractor to do this, doing it on your own manually will be hard.

Zoom Rader has land but he gives it to farmers to plant and they take care off it and give him stuff when it bear. This is smart because taking care of land can be expensive and farmers already have equipment to do it.

Thanks will really look into doing that!

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

^ try to find out first if it will work but for the very least your taxes should be less because from what I read a vacant piece of agriculture land is 2% so I would assume vacant residential land they will charge you more than say if you were to plant it.

But you will have to try and find out some more maybe you can go in personally and inquire? where exactly is this land located?