Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur has proceeded with his plan to seek relief from the Municipal Solid Waste Tax for the underprivileged in his St Peter constituency.
Effective today, he opened his constituency office to pensioners, unemployed persons, individuals in single parent households and returning nationals, so they could provide information and sign the letters, which would be forwarded to the Minister of Finance.
Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur
“The new tax will kill these people. Their budgets are already set. The people cannot do it themselves so we are going to help them. The system is in place, staff will be available at the office to offer assistance,” Arthur said.
Speaking at a meeting with constituents at Speightstown last night, Arthur reiterated that Section 5 of the Municipal Solid Waste Tax Act, allowed for some persons to be exempt from paying.
“If you can prove that the new tax will cause undue hardship, or for any other reason cannot afford to pay, then you can apply to the minister for relief,” he stressed.
Arthur, along with the co-ordinator of the petition, Colin Jordan, have drafted letters for those seeking exemption. The letters would also be available online.
“Once you can prove that you will face difficulty in paying the extra tax that will help tremendously,” the former prime minister said.
“If the minister denies the request, you can then request a reason and one has to be provided in writing. You can also seek justice if he says ‘no’ and it is known that he has said ‘yes’ to someone else with similar circumstances,” Arthur stressed.
(DB)