The Region Four administration is moving to impose an annual regional licence fee/tax on businesses in “unregulated areas” in the region but this move has not gone down well with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) representatives on the council.

Clement Corlette

The fee will be charged on all fun parks/resorts, coal pit operations, hotels/restaurants, guest houses, transmission towers for telecommunications, use/occupation of market stalls, beauty salons, car washes, saw mills, snackettes, lumber yards, airport, sand pits and private day care centres.

A press release said that the decision was made by Regional Chairman Clement Corlette and was unanimously supported by the PNCR-1G, AFC and JFAP councillors when they met at the council’s last statutory meeting. The release stated that a directive, which was signed by the Regional Chairman was tabled for discussion and approval and it read “that the Regional Democratic Council … – be made an authorized revenue (collecting) body corporate”.

The release stated that the decision did not have the support of the entire council with the PPP councilors saying that the Regional Chairman and the council do not have the authority. Further, the PPP councillors said that businesses in unregulated areas and in general already pay their fair share of taxes to Central government, the release stated.

Increasingly there has been a struggle between the PPP/C and the PNCR-1G for control of council. The Chairman – a PNCR-1G nominee – and the Regional Executive Officer have clashed over budgeting and other matters. The council saw the PPP/C and the PNCR-1G combining their votes to share the top two positions following the 2006 general elections. A fractious relationship has since followed.