City Council wins $100M judgement against 13 defaulting taxpayers

– 22 more targeted

The Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown (M&CC) was granted judgement in the High Court in relation to outstanding rates owed to the Georgetown Municipality.  Judgement was granted against 13 property owners in Georgetown.
The property owners include Central Garage, Fazell Ferouz, Viera Investments Ltd Jr. Liliwattie Daibane, Seenarine, Clinton Alphonso, Loretta McMillan, William Lashley, Campbell Wilbert, GNCB, Mohamed Kassim, Jaikaran and Sons Ltd and Florence Allen. These property owners collectively owe the Council in excess of $100million.
This is according to a statement issued by the Council yesterday which related that it will be moving to levy on those properties by way of Parate Execution, as stipulated by the Municipal and District Councils Act and facilitated by law to recover outstanding monies owed to the Georgetown Municipality.
The Municipal and District Council Act 220(1) states, “where rates are due in respect of any property, and the remedy of distress is not available against the person liable for the payment of such rates or where it has been used and has proved insufficient, theClerk of the Council shall institute proceedings by way of Parate Execution”
The Municipal and District Council Act 220 (2) states that “Where a person owns two or more immovable properties on which rates are due, proceeding under this sections may be instituted against any one of those properties and the whole of the rates due from the owner of such properties together with the cost, shall be taken from the proceeds of sale of such property, but without prejudice to further proceeding against the other property, should the proceeds of sales not realise a sufficient sum to meet the whole of such rates and cost”.
The facility of Parate Execution allows the Council to sell any property in default to recover rates owed to the Council.
The Council would be pursuing 22 other property owners who owe the Council large sums of monies. And it was related that this is necessary to recoup outstanding taxes owed to the Council. The Municipal records show that property owners owe the Council in excess of $2billion.
The Council, moreover, urges all property owners to honour their civic obligation to the Municipality as this would enable the Council to provide vital municipal services to the citizenry.