City Hall is owed in excess of thirty million Guyana dollars by the Private Sector Commission (PSC) in taxes, including interest. This has been confirmed by officials both at the PSC and City Hall. The PSC which has from time to time encouraged its members to pay their taxes has now found itself in breach of its obligations for its Waterloo Street headquartered property.
City Hall has recently come under fire for not adequately discharging its functions in maintaining the city. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said in an interview over the weekend that it would be impractical for the central government to hand over funds to help City Hall with its perennial cash flow issues. City Hall for its part has maintained that if the billions owed in taxes by city businesses are paid up it would be in a much better position to deliver on its mandate to the citizens of Georgetown.
Many entities, like the PSC, have been encouraged to pay their share of taxes and to utilize the amnesty period that is facilitated by City Hall to allow businesses to pay down on their principal. Several Councillors who spoke with our publication indicated that a request for a waiver has been made by the PSC and it has been referred to the full Council for a decision shortly.
