‘Church people must pay property tax just as how they pay offering’
MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Mandeville Mayor and Councillor for the Royal Flat Division, Donovan Mitchell has urged church members to commit to paying their property taxes, similar to how they pay their tithes and offerings.
“Church people must pay their property tax just as how they pay offering, that is what the law says. We can’t breach one thing and preach another thing,” he said.
Addressing the monthly sitting of the local municipality today, Mitchell warned that it can’t be business as usual for car mart operators and other businesspeople in Manchester.
“Businesspeople must pay their trade license [and] to the hundred and odd car marts in this parish; tax administration; NEPA [the National Environment and Planning Agency]; the police; our enforcement team and health department, all need [to come] together,” the councillor said.
“It can’t be business as usual,” he added.
He said the government agencies must coordinate in the execution of their duties.
Said Mitchell: “Poor people pay property taxes. When we look at the arrears for property taxes, most of the arrears are for people who have money and have businesses. The regular little poor man pays his property taxes, so that we are able to clear the garbage and the dumps that are on the roadside.”
Kasey Williams
