After being accused by Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine of shirking its tax obligations for the past five years, the Giftland Mall has said that it is the city which has delayed an agreed settlement and then attempted to seek interest for the time that has elapsed.
On Friday, the Mayor told reporters that Giftland Mall, located at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara, owes City Hall over $103 million in rates and taxes. Narine also stated that Giftland has not paid any rates or taxes nor any interest on what is owed since the mall’s opening in July, 2015.
However, in a statement issued on Saturday, Giftland Group Chairman \said the company has been actively pursuing City Hall for the last five years in an effort to have the issue amicably settled. Beepat claimed that former Town Clerk Royston King had negotiated a settlement but in three years despite many attempts to have this drawn into a binding written contract, it was never completed by the city.
“The Mayor has conveniently neglected to point this out,” he added, while noting that the company met with the mayor and made agreements to have the issue resolved but subsequent written correspondence sent to the company was not in line with the discussions.
It is Beepat’s contention that the Mayor insisted on interest of 21% on what was owed, and a penalty in the figure of approximately $43 million, notwithstanding the company’s argument that it had spent close to $500 million on public works, which included the public access road to the Mall and the Demerara estate, street lighting, a bus shed, walkways and irrigation.
Further, Beepat said the Mayor was also told that the Mall had not received the benefit of one day of service from the city, including basic garbage collection, as the Mall has had to undertake these services at its own cost.
“I repeat the city has not provided not one day of service whatsoever,” he was quoted as saying, while adding that it is seeking to charge interest for bills which were sent retroactively although the delay in reaching agreement was the city’s fault.
Meanwhile, Beepat suggested that he was being targeted by the Mayor, who is a member of APNU, for his public stance in support of free and fair elections and a proper tabulation of votes from the March 2 polls.
He added that the Mayor has taken a position of attack that is not in keeping with the groundwork that has been laid for payments, and he said unless there is reasonableness then this will be settled in the courts.
