Dear Editor,

I have seen in the press recently that the Georgetown Mayor is complaining that businesses in the city do not pay their fair share of property rates, and he pointed out that the municipality is currently receiving a quarter of what it needs to function.

I would like to make a few suggestions to him. Why does he not make the rate collection more efficient by first ensuring that every property owner in the city receives a demand notice at the beginning of the year, as is required by law, but which is not being done? Why does he not upgrade the methods through which people can pay, like allowing persons to pay online or at a commercial bank?

But here is another alternative: since he is receiving only a quarter of the financing that he needs, how about if he considers cutting the top-heavy, feather-bedded and redundant human resources of the Council down to a quarter of its current strength?

The City Council has been well known over the years for practising nepotism and cronyism, stuffing the Council at all levels with friends, relatives, church colleagues, political comrades, paramours and supporters.

All sorts of schemes were set up to facilitate this state of affairs, such as establishing a warden corps that never made any sense; establishing many new sections and departments, and upgrading existing ones; and creating a ton of high-paying duck soup jobs.

The place is littered with old boys and girls from the party, and with countless operatives from the House of Israel, who have all somehow ascended to the top of the ladder and become sinecures.

This is all money for old rope. There are sweeping layoffs all over the world, but not at the Georgetown Municipality.

Mr Mayor, instead of the Council constantly moaning and trying to get more money out of the battered citizens and businesses, particularly at this time of the pandemic, how about if you guys consider spending less?

Sincerely,
Anu Bihari