The blogmaster continues to be intrigued by the reluctance of Prime Minister Mia Mottley to resolve the Savvy on the Bay dispute. This is after she publicly directed two senior Ministers Dale Marshall and William Duguid months ago to resolve the matter or she would be forced to intervene.
Mottley did not hesitate to accept a role to mediate in the Guyana/Venezuela dispute late last year or in recent weeks to be a member of the Caricom team confronting the never ending crisis in Haiti. However, her reluctance to intercede in the Savvy on the Bay matter is enough to stoke the curiosity of onlookers.
The omnipresent Mottley although willing to break biscuits and cheese with bankers in the late night, accept a call from a cook shop operator in Deacons AND cut the ribbon at Bernie Weatherhead’s Haymans operation, she has been unable to deliver on her public promise to intervene in the Savvy on the Bay matter. She is Bigworks and her subjects will have to wait until she deems it the appropriate time.
There is a side plot to the case of the Savvy on the Bay dispute. There has been a lot of chatter in recent days by Barbadians experiencing an increase in land tax rates. Earlier this year Minister Ryan Strughn had chimed in on the matter to indicate that “new legislation will be taken to Parliament as the government seeks to bring the valuation of property for insurance, land tax payments and property sale in line with each other.”
The blogmaster inquired from those who should know what was the land tax due for Savvy on the Bay properties. Some should recall in 2019, in another land dispute matter between Miss Ram and government, there was mention made by Attorney General Dale Marshall that Ms. Ram had disputed the land tax levied on the ‘soon to be Hyatt property’. The blogmaster was surprised to note two out of three Savvy lots land tax due decreased and the other increased marginally.
Inquiring minds want to know therefore in the interest of transparency, what is the formula used by government to determine land tax due on beach front property.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.