$6.4B owed to City Council by PNC/R
Vice President and General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday criticized the Mayor and City Council for its failure to recover billions in unpaid taxes, an issue he claims has contributed to the ongoing strike by city workers.
The vice president highlighted financial mismanagement and inaction by the Council during his weekly press conference.
According to Jagdeo GY$6.4 billion is owed to the city by entities linked to the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), including taxes for Congress Place, the party’s headquarters in Sophia.
He said, “For the many, many years it never paid taxes to the city council for the entire massive property that they have at Congress Place. They owe 6.4 billion dollars now. They would not pay it and the city council will not go after them. Yet they will say to the workers there that they don’t have a source of revenue to pay them.”
He suggested that these funds could significantly alleviate the city’s financial troubles and help address the grievances of workers currently on strike.
The GS Said, “They keep diverting the issue every time it’s raised, to the government’s support for the city.”
The Vice President also raised concerns about the Council leasing properties to the PNC at rates far below market value, with reports of annual rental fees as low as GY$100,000.
He called on councillors to push for the immediate recovery of the outstanding GY$ 6.4 billion to ease the financial strain.
He noted that the central government has been providing consistent support to the city, funding key infrastructure projects such as roads, drainage systems, and recreational facilities.
However, he argued that the Council’s failure to address its revenue collection issues has exacerbated the city’s financial struggles, leaving workers unpaid and essential services disrupted.
