By John Denny
Observer Reporter
(Charlestown, Nevis) – A tax overhaul that will push up what most property owners pay is receiving a variety of reactions from Nevisians.
The Nevis Island Assembly passed a new tax law at their sitting on April 15. The law structures the amount of property tax Nevisians will pay on the value of their house and land. The old law that was written in 1913 and based on a property owner’s ability to generate income based on rentals.
Premier Hon. Joseph Parry explained that most other countries in the Caribbean and the island of St. Kitts had already updated their property tax laws to this new method.
“We are lagging behind,” Parry said.
Opinions vary throughout Nevis on the subject.
James Moving is not pleased about the new law.
“Of course the tax will go up, nothing in Nevis goes down,” Mr. Moving said. “I have some rental property and the government acts as though I have some big hotel. Every month they charge me EC$121.50 and another EC$100 per year fee. It seems like they wait for people to bring money to this island and then they find a way to take it away from you.”
Mrs. Bernie Dore is also skeptical of the new tax law.
“I’m not sure how this is going to affect me, but I think (the government) is just squandering our money,” said Mrs. Dore. “These guys got elected because everyone wanted change. I see no change.”
Paul Diamond sees it differently.
“Of course we needed tax reform here. Property tax here is ridiculous,” Mr. Diamond said. “I am concerned about it being handled properly and how property will be valued. If someone moves here and builds a million dollar villa next door to a small house, that shouldn’t drive the taxes up for the person who has lived here all their life. That is what happened on St. Maarten. Developers and ex-pats came in and bought everything close to the water and the property values went through the roof. Property taxes went up and it drove the locals to the interior where the land is dry and rocky scrub. If something like that happens here, it would really disenfranchise the local population.”
An employee of the Nevis Island Revenue Department, who did not give her name, was also in favor of the new tax.
“Right now I only pay $5 a year for my property tax,” she said. “That doesn’t even cover the cost of the paper it takes to process my taxes, much less fix one pothole. I don’t understand why the people of Nevis would not want to pay for better schools, better hospital and better roads. Those things cost money, but there are many, many people who pay only a little and there are many who pay nothing. This reform is necessary if we want to make Nevis better,” she said.
