One man has taken to protest in front of City Hall after attempts to have a name change on his rates and taxes bill proved futile. And he pledges to continue his protest until he gets results.
Julian McEwan, of 331 Cummings Street, was in front of City Hall yesterday with a sign which read: “Corruption and skulduggery at Mayor and City Council. I need my rates and taxes bill in my name. I’m not paying my rates and tax if the bills are not in my name.”
Taking time out of his protest, he told Stabroek News, “I want all the receipts to be in my name so that at the end of the year I can do my returns. That is the number one problem here.” In 2003, McEwan said he filed an application at the M&CC to have the name changed from the previous owner to his but to date no one at City Hall has been able to provide him with a valid explanation as to why the process is taking so long. “I’m not getting it done that is why I’m protesting here,” said McEwan. The businessman explained that in 2002 he bought the Cummings Street property. Before receiving the transport for the property he said that all rates and taxes were paid off by the previous owner.
Frustrated by the process of getting the name changed he re-applied for the change in 2009. “I saw Green [mayor], I saw King [public relations officer], I saw Meredith [treasurer] and everyone assuring me that it’s an easy process. Why is it that they not changing it to my name?”
According to McEwan, the first time he applied he was told that the hold up was at the Treasury Department. At that department, he said he was told that there were outstanding rates and taxes owed to Council by that property which he needed to pay off.
However, McEwan is insisting that all rates and taxes were paid off by the previous owner before he received the transport document giving him ownership of the property.
He said on other visits he was told by a supervisor that “it can’t be changed. I must pay off in the person name.” On another occasion he said he was told “that they are not changing it.”
Meanwhile, Mayor Hamilton Green yesterday said that he had met with McEwan a few weeks ago but noted that the change cannot be made because there are outstanding rates and taxes on the property. “The fact of the matter is he has to pay off all outstanding taxes on the property,” said Green.
According to Green before the change that McEwan is demanding can made all outstanding taxes have to be paid off. If a property changes hands then the current owner is responsible for paying any outstanding taxes, he said
