President of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM), Ancel Roget says if Government imposes property taxes on citizens at the height of a pandemic, it could be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Speaking during a press conference on Wednesday, Roget accused the Government of imposing “Taliban-like” measures against citizens.
He said the Government does not care about how the ordinary citizen is surviving during the pandemic when many have lost their jobs, food prices are increasing and the cost of living has gone up.
Roget said the Government was seeking to make up for the financial shortfall of their mismanagement of the economy and the energy sector. He vowed to host a separate press conference to speak on the National Gas Company (NGC) debacle.
Roget said the Government was “testing the waters” by trying to gauge how the population will react to property tax. He said if the public remains quiet, hell will be their fate. He said the extension of the State of Emergency was done without cause and with the implementation of property tax looming, citizens cannot protest.
Roget said the property tax should be deferred at this time and should be done on a phased approach- with consideration given to leaving residential properties out of the tax arrangement.
Reporter: Sharlene Rampersad