“It ain’t gonna happen!”
That was Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s declaration yesterday, as he warned the Opposition that Government will strenuously fight any further moves to stymie his Government.
“Anybody could go to court, what we take objection to is people from the former cabinet using their free time to use the court to stymie this Cabinet—it ain’t gonna happen!” the PM added.
Rowley was speaking to the media about Government’s successes on legal challenges concerning property tax form submission and on the composition of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission during a post-Cabinet press briefing at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s.
Both matters, presented by former People’s Partnership minister Devant Maharaj, failed.
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said Government had won five appeals in the last two days against the Opposition—four on property tax issues and also on the JLSC matter.
Rowley said Cabinet met yesterday on the developments, rather than holding its usual Thursday meeting.
He explained, “These (court matters) are two major matters which, had they gone (the Opposition’s) way in court - understanding the court is there to advance their political agenda—this country would have been in chaos.
“And it’s their intention to create chaos. Anybody could go to court, but if it’s a challenge to Government’s authority to govern T&T or to protect the public interest, Government will act all the way to the Privy Council on every occasion. That’s the reason the Cabinet met (yesterday), because had the decision been different our response would have been quite different. This, for us, is a political battle.”
He accused Opposition members of identifying the courts as a place to go to “create mayhem and disturbance”, adding if they were using this to advance their political agenda, “I intend to defend the Government against these political excursions.”
He said some people from the last Cabinet had “good reason” for not wanting the tax to materialise.
“They hold themselves out as defenders of the public interest, but they’re defenders of their own interests,” he said.
There are many with property they can’t explain who felt they might have enjoyed that forever if there’s no governance system on properties, he added.
Rowley also accused detractors of trying to force a policy to prevent the tax as the PP government had, “and I’m saying the PNM will have none of it— the Opposition will not run this country!”
He said the Opposition “went out of its way to misrepresent facts on the tax—all of it lies.”
“We respect the court’s ruling, but if we have to go to the next step, we will. Government will resist what we see as a political response to Government carrying out its oath of office,” he said, adding the ruling means the taxes can be collected.
Rowley particularly noted the court took issue with where the Opposition group had received permission to proceed in the first instance, and that the judge in that matter was “plainly wrong.”
T&T lost $3.5 billion over the last seven years of non-collection, he added, noting Government had much difficulty last month paying salaries and borrowing was required.
...Colm did bad job on selling process
The Finance Ministry didn’t do the best job in laying the foundation for the property tax form process—but it doesn’t mean anybody may get “fired” tomorrow, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said yesterday.
At the post-Cabinet briefing, Rowley admitted he hadn’t been happy with the ministry’s process and had taken issue with Finance for not laying the foundation, “because I knew these mischief-makers (Opposition) would have made mischief with it.”
“I knew the population ought to have been properly prepared to receive it, since it wasn’t something they were accustomed to. Many people, while willing to participate, still had questions,” the PM said.
“I must say the Ministry of Finance didn’t do the best job of it, but that doesn’t say the ministry didn’t carry out the law and this isn’t a criticism to say somebody may get fired tomorrow.
“You may do your best, but your best isn’t enough. All we have to do is keep improving on it and we’ll keep improving. We’ll continue talking.”
Rowley said Finance Minister Colm Imbert and the Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi would explain the court rulings on the matter, but noted that “at first blush, it’s clear we can proceed to collect the tax.”
OPM Minister Stuart Young said the court ordered that public notices must first be issued stating submission of the forms are voluntary.
Rowley added that the forms would assist the public to have a say in the assessment process.
“It’s either you sit home doing nothing and the Valuation department will do their assessment and tell you what the tax is, or you can take the opportunity to tell them ‘this is what my valuation should be, I’m the owner’ or what you think the rent or tax can be. It’ll assist if you provide any information.”
Rowley said if the tax wasn’t paid in one year, it’s carried over to the next.
