KINGSTON, Jamaica — The People’s National Party (PNP) Spokesperson on agriculture and rural development, Dr Fenton Ferguson says the failure of the Andrew Holness government to name a new land taxation relief board in 2016 despite inviting farmers to apply for property tax concessions is alarming and total dereliction of duty.

According to Ferguson, the land taxation relief board, which assesses applications submitted to the Ministry of Finance and Planning, has not been in operation since the end of 2016 when the tenure of the last board expired.

He added that the increases in property taxes in 2016 forced many farmers to apply for concessions and at the time, Finance Minister Audley Shaw invited property owners who faced extenuating circumstances to submit applications for consideration with a large number of farmers responded seeking relief.

Ferguson further noted that with agriculture declared a major platform for growth, rural development and food security, any help to farmers would signal government’s commitment to the sector and its importance to the overall growth strategy of the country.

“Farmers have been applying for this necessary concession based on the increases in taxes and the high input costs to produce, but with no system in place since 2016 to process their applications, it is a fool’s paradise.

“How can we say agriculture is critical to the growth of the economy, then fail to lend critical support?  Does it mean that this government don’t believe in our farmers and is not serious about what it says to them?”

Pointing out that the new fiscal year starts in a few days and property tax will again become due, Dr Ferguson has urged the government to move post haste to reinstate the land taxation relief board so that the nation’s farmers can access the benefits offered.