BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AS part of its “Get Closer to You” property tax initiative, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) mounted a mobile tax centre in the heart of Basseterre on Friday (June 22) through which persons can better acquaint themselves with the Federation’s property tax regime and settle outstanding balances.
Early that morning, a tent was erected in the Circus, under which IRD representatives readied themselves to address the needs of their customers.
Senior Tax Inspector Alston Johnson spoke with SKNVibes and explained that that was the fourth in a series of similar activities scheduled as part of the “Get Closer to You” initiative.
“The Inland Revenue Department is having a mobile tax centre and our focus is property tax. For those who don’t know, the property tax deadline is June 30 for the payment. So we wanted to reach as many people as possible so we have come out in the community.
“We did three already, one in Sandy Point, one in Old Road and the other in Cayon and they were quite successful. The communities responded quite positively and we wanted to extend it to Basseterre and the surrounding communities where we could come out and persons can sit with us right here.”
Outlining the services which were offered during the exercise, Johnson explained that customers were free to request a printed copy of their property tax bills, query their accounts, make payments and even request that their property be revaluated.
Johnson indicated that during the exercises, quite a number of persons had made queries about how property tax is calculated and, to assist in that regard, especially on Friday, the IRD’s Chief Valuation Officer was on hand to answer questions.
He said there are those who take property tax for granted and tend to be lax in their payment. He noted however that the nonpayment of this tax could have considerable ramifications.
“Property tax is one of those taxes that really doesn’t disappear; it is always there. If you are going to use your property to get a loan etc, the property tax has to be paid up before the bank would give you a loan. If you are selling the property…all the property tax has to be paid. So it is in one’s interest to have their property tax bill up to date if they are going to use their property for collateral etc. in the future.”
Several have commended the IRD for its “Get Closer to You’ initiative which they described as “convenient” and “informative “.
One IRD customer – who spoke with this publication – explained that she was grateful for the service and is more than relieved that she was able to deal with her outstanding property tax balance.
“When I got back to my car the day before, I saw a pink slip under my windshield wiper and it was from Island Revenue Department. That made me look for my bills and I readied myself to speak with the IRD. I couldn’t find one but I went there still and they printed out the one that I couldn’t find. They were able to tell me how much for each one; they printed my up to date bill…
“It was very very convenient because had they not been there I would have had to get time off from work, go and stand in line at IRD. And so it saved me a lot of time and it ensured that I paid my bill on time, so there were no late payment fees.”
Johnson told this publication that the event was “overwhelmingly successful” and as such, the next leg of the programme would be held on Friday (June 29) at the Circus where, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., customers could make property tax payments and even pay to have their vehicle licences renewed.
