By Eileen Cox
The year 2004 marked a turning point for senior citizens in Georgetown who owned property and paid taxes on their houses to the Mayor and City Council.
Up to the year 2003 senior citizens who were not employed could claim from the Mayor and City Council some rebate on rates and taxes on their property. In 2004 this arrangement was discontinued and property owners who wished some consideration in the payment of the heavy tax were informed that the Ministry of Local Government would in future deal with applications for relief.
In pursuance of this new policy I applied late 2003 for consideration on behalf of myself and two sisters who had passed away. I pointed out that I kept my parapet and drains clean and this involved a yearly cost. The response to my application came mid-2004 and I was granted a waiver. No mention was made of my application on behalf of my sisters.
The waiver related to rates for the year 2004 so I immediately applied for consideration for the 2005 rates. No reply came. We are now in 2008 and no reply has yet been received. Last Wednesday I telephoned on four occasions to the officer who handles this matter and on each occasion I received the reply that he was not at his desk. I left my telephone number with a request that he telephone me. No telephone call came.
I understand that the Mayor and City Council can waive the interest charges but cannot waive the rates. Therefore senior citizens who may now be receiving claims for rates that are due may apply for the interest charges to be deducted. If a reduction is needed in the charges the Ministry of Local Government has the sole responsibility but you may have to wait a considerable time to receive a reply.
The public servant, or any citizen, who purchases a house on retirement and hopes that his house problems are solved will find that he is up against other problems. Repairs to the house will never cease. The wood ants will have built their home in a dark closet or corner. You can spray with Baygon. It now has a pleasant smell but I doubt whether it is yet safe for us. There will be ants in the garden and on the kitchen table. There is a powder for the garden. You may need to have your house sprayed for cockroaches and ants. If a centipede or scorpion appears, then, too, a thorough spray by professionals still will be needed. Windows will be an ongoing problem. Casement windows are no longer in fashion because of the high cost. Louvred windows will cause problems when the louvers drop out or are taken out. The pivots on French windows will rot, especially if you are near the sea. There will be leaks in the roof and you will be faced with the high cost of galvanized sheets.
If the stairs at the back or the front are not covered the owner will soon find that it is cheaper to build a roof over them than to repair steps every year.
If the housewife insists on boiling rice in excess water and in pouring the boiling water with all its nutrients down the kitchen sink, then the PVC pipe will soon have to be replaced. They do not stand up to boiling water. Galvanised pipes are out of fashion. They, too, do not last for ever.
Don’t forget there will be need to keep the parapets and yard clear of tall grass – a good hiding place for snakes. This cleaning entails a monthly cost.
With all these expectations no one can believe that owning a house is a trouble-free venture. Of course one saves on high rentals, but there is a monthly cost to owning a home. Be prepared to meet the cost.
