Faris Al-Rawi...what did you do with 135 million property taxes

Faris Al-Rawi ...what did you do with 135 million Property tax

Tunapuna/Piarco led all regional corporations in property tax revenue over the past 15 months, collecting over $23 million ($23,245,091.33 to be exact) between February 29, 2024 and May 20, 2025. It also recorded the highest number of payments: 22,604.Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar made the announcement during yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference. Trinidad and Tobago collected over $135 million ($135,624,609.72) in property taxes during the period. The total assessed value across the country was $195.8 million, meaning the government recovered just under 70 per cent of what was owed.

But now Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar is questioning how that money was spent, saying, “$135.6 million collected. Again, I said I warned people don’t pay it. You decide to pay, that is on you. The last government collected this property tax. Today, I want to ask Faris Al-Rawi and others in that government, what did you do with the money you collected for the property tax? What have you done with the millions that you collected from property tax?”

She added, “They need to give us an account of what they did with that money. Again, people in good faith, complied with what was in the law and paid.”Asked again whether refunds should be considered, she said, “I think that’s been asked and answered and I refer you to the Minister of Finance. We did that last week, let’s move along.”Persad-Bissessar acknowledged during last week’s post-Cabinet that her husband paid the tax on their home.Collection and compliance rates varied across the corporations. San Fernando showed either greater compliance or more efficient collection.

‘Ghost rentals’: $493M State lease property bill worries PM

“Governmental rentals, this has caused billions of dollars to be spent without transparency. The total spent on the last fiscal year alone, fiscal 2024, was 493 million dollars. This is like dead money because it is not like you getting anything from it back.”According to the latest figures, there are currently 235 active leases but of these, 193 expired.Even more alarming, the Prime Minister said, was the emergence of what she referred to as “ghost rentals,” leases for properties where there appeared to be little to no evidence of actual government occupation or usage.“The rent paid by government ministries and agencies do not match the figure on a master list of properties rented by government, which is provided by the Ministry out of Public Admin. Some of the properties for which rents are paid, are being paid, are not even on the master list. I don’t know if you want to call them ghost rentals, but the government is paying almost half a billion dollars a year in rentals.”

“The majority of the leases are for the following locations: costs per month, Port-of-Spain, 66 leases, 9.5 million. San Juan, 17 leases, 1.3 million. San Fernando, 1.3 million, 22 leases. Chaguanas 0.6 million, 10 leases, Arima 0.5 million, 11 leases.”“There are variances in the rent paid versus rent on the master list of 21.8 million for the Judiciary, for example, 24.8 for the Ministry of Finance, 47.9 million for the Ministry of Health, 31.4 million for TTPS, 10.6 for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is just a few of them.”“No one can confirm whether these properties still meet the criteria for rental or requisite approvals for fire, health and safety and other areas of concern.”

Persad-Bissessar also took aim at landlords collecting rent without proper approvals or contracts.“Two companies, GV Holdings and NJ Nahous Investments LTD, were paid over 15 million in rent per year in properties rented by government and regrettably, there are no current leases. And there are others, paid over 15 million in rent per year, rented by government and there is no current lease and no cabinet approval.”
According to the Prime Minister, rental properties belonging to relatives of former People’s National Movement (PNM) government minister Faris Al-Rawi allegedly cost taxpayers $1.7 million per month.

PM: $500M bill for private security too high

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says Government is spending far too much on contracted private security services—nearly half a billion dollars—and has launched a review of the existing agreements in a bid to rein in costs.Speaking at yesterday’s post-Cabinet media briefing, Persad-Bissessar disclosed that ministries and State agencies collectively spend around $500 million a year on private security contracts. She made it clear this figure excludes payments to the police, Defence Force, and other protective services.

“The Government is spending five, 500 million, another half a billion dollars there, on contracted security services,” she said. “I am not here speaking of TTPS. I’m not speaking of about the army or any of the protective services. This is contracted security services.”She said the country is in a “bad way with crime,” but even so, the level of spending was excessive.

“We are spending half a billion dollars paying private businesses to provide security,” Persad-Bissessar said. “This cost is too high.”She pointed to the Ministry of Education as the largest user of these services, accounting for nearly $200 million. The Tobago House of Assembly spends about $80 million, the Judiciary around $70 million, and the Ministry of National Security approximately $30 million.While she did not name the contractors, Persad-Bissessar said her administration was actively reviewing the contracts to identify potential savings and increase transparency.“Again, we must know who these people are. Again you cannot hide behind privacy defences, because you’re spending public money.”

Minister awaiting report on missing corporation money

Rural Development and Local Government Minister Khadijah Ameen is awaiting a formal report on the disappearance of approximately $90,000 from the San Fernando City Corporation (SFCC), as investigations continue into the missing funds.Ameen confirmed this in a WhatsApp Message yesterday but did not provide further details.A Finance Committee meeting is scheduled for today in the Corporation’s Council Chambers where the Chief Executive Officer Heather Crawford is expected to brief council members, including San Fernando Mayor Robert Parris, on the matter. The meeting will not be open to the public.

The missing funds, reportedly comprising fees and taxes collected between April 30 and May 16, were discovered missing by an employee on Monday around 3.15 pm.Last Friday, the employee secured $6,534.50 in a four-drawer fireproof cabinet which already contained $83,465.50. The money was in sealed Republic Bank envelopes.Investigators were told the cabinet, located on the western side of the SFCC building, was locked. However, when the employee checked the cabinet on Monday afternoon, the money had vanished.

West denies ghost rentals, says reforms saved $6M monthly

Former Public Administration Minister Allyson West has flatly denied claims that she presided over “ghost rentals,” calling the accusation the most egregious of several “misrepresentations and innuendos” made by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.“I once again call for our public discourse to be grounded in fact, rather than misrepresentations and innuendo," she said in a statement.She said discrepancies between the rental costs recorded by the Ministry of Finance and those on the Property Management Information System managed by her ministry had a simple explanation: the Ministry of Public Administration (MPA), through the Property and Real Estate Services Division (PRESD), handled commercial rentals for central government only.

“Many government entities outside of central government handle their own rentals, the details of which are not known to MPA or included on MPA’s records,” West said, citing statutory authorities like the Water and Sewerage Authority and the Regional Health Authorities. When these bodies request funding from the government, their rental costs appear in the Ministry of Finance’s figures—not in MPA’s.She said PRESD was specifically mandated by Cabinet to bring Port of Spain rental rates down to $10 per square foot, a goal largely achieved. By the time she left office, monthly rental costs had dropped from $23 million to $17 million, with further savings in progress.
West acknowledged that maintenance remained a weakness in the public sector but said rental agreements clearly defined responsibilities, and PRESD worked to ensure landlords upheld their obligations.She also pushed back on the narrative that the Rowley administration had no vision for decentralisation.

note: You had 10 years to bring all under one entity , to save money. Why didnt you do such?

...........



Soon dat Brit Trini will ask me the above questions.

In reply to sgtdjones

Great leadership there sarge, incite folks to break the law. When they comply with the law she says “it’s on them”. This is the woman who ran to the US and begged for sanctions on her own country?

We c-c-could not b-b-be in better h-h-hands.

In reply to Halliwell

Again you are knit-picking....

Some residents still haven't paid their property taxes because they lack the funds, as of right now. They broke the law?

Such funds were collected. Ask your San Fernando Al Farris what he did with the money. Instead of your question above.

Citizens amongst the 100,000 plus that lost their jobs over the last tenure of your PNM.

Can you give me an explanation of why your PNM paid Madero one million US per month for nine years and a secret bonus for Dragon Gas?

Where is the product...? Can you ask Lal Beharry Young?

They were in such great hands over the last ten years, that the country is technically bankrupt
You are commenting that we, the people, couldn't be in better hands... NOT moi?

I am saying the UNC will have a difficult road ahead; strange they left 12.5 billion US in 2015 ...now less than 5.6 remain.

The debt is approx. 80% of GDP, excluding NDAs that are secret with China .

How ironic you are not commenting on such... The balisier plant blocking your vision, huh?

In reply to sgtdjones

When I reach the part about ‘knit picking’ I did ded wid laff



Sorry
Me nah read nutting after dat

In reply to Halliwell

You Brits are noted for your cuppa and knitting scarves and sweaters on ya rocking chair...

Just explaining in simple prose so you are not confused by my verbosity...