Introduction: Stabroek News has invited the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change to submit a weekly column on local government and related matters. The PPP/C has declined the offer.
Alliance for Change column
By David Patterson
The main source of revenue collection for local authorities worldwide is the collection of rates and taxes; these are charges levied on property owners within the boundaries of towns/cities to offset the costs for provision of services such as garbage collection, street lighting and maintenance of roads and drains. In every sense rates and taxes are the lifeblood of a municipality, the City of Georgetown is no exception.
In Guyana, these rates are computed based on values contained in a valuation list prepared by the Valuation Department, a section of the Ministry of Finance. The process is straightforward. Every five years this department undertakes a physical inspection of every property within the boundaries of the City, assigns a value to each property and thereafter the City Council can compute the taxes payable by property owners. The computation of taxes is simple using an established formula, the bigger and more opulent the property,
