APNU+AFC MP Roysdale Forde SC has expressed concern over the large amounts owed by the state to the Mayor and City Council.
In a release yesterday, Forde, referred to reports concerning the recent default by the administration on its payments; in fact just last week, it was reported that the government owes the council billions of dollars. This, he posited leads to the “severe neglect of essential infrastructural and other works crucial for the well-being of our city.”
According to the release, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo in his last press conference did not deny that the government owes the council, but did question the amount. Further, at that same press conference, Jagdeo noted that the government was spending billions to beautify the city, a statement which the MP viewed as “an implausible ruse to shamelessly cover the wrongdoing of the government towards the council.”
The release pointed out that the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01, does not allow the government or any property owner to do works or any other activity in exchange for paying taxes to the city, and as such, government’s spending on city facilities does not exempt it from paying its taxes.
It also noted that for decades, the M&CC was a fount of institutional knowledge and expertise in executing vital projects, which included roads, drainage, markets, cemeteries, public health, environmental health and sanitation, all aimed at enhancing the lives of its residents. However, despite this accumulated knowledge, the city currently finds itself “shackled” by a lack of appropriate resources, a situation made worse by the administration’s failure to fulfill its financial obligations.
Also highlighted was the PPP/C-appointed interim management committee which in 1994 concluded in a report that the revenue base of the council was too narrow to meet the increasing needs and demands of the city. “More than three decades after, with no real new revenue generating projects, the situation remains unchanged”, he argued.
As a result of the revenue scarcity, Forde contended, the city’s public buildings and other properties, once the pride of its citizens, now stand in disrepair due, in part, to the government’s negligence. He said that poorly built roads, malfunctioning streetlights, dilapidated municipal markets, and other municipal buildings along with inadequate waste management systems, paint a “worrying picture of a city struggling under the weight of governmental irresponsibility.”
As such, the MP expressed the need for the government to settle outstanding accounts “forthwith,” explaining that the failure to do so not only undermines the financial stability of the council but also jeopardises the welfare of every resident who relies on functional municipal infrastructure for their daily lives. “Therefore, it is imperative that the government honours its responsibilities and pay its taxes promptly. The funds generated from these taxes are vital for the maintenance and improvement of city services, without which the quality of life for our citizens will continue to deteriorate”, he said.
Forde encouraged the city council to explore legal avenues to compel the government to fulfill its obligations, the release added.
