By Alicia Chamely
“WHAT have you done with the millions you collected from property tax?”
This was the question posed by Prime Minister Kalma Persad-Bissessar to members of the former People’s National Movement government at Thursday’s post cabinet press briefing held at the Red House.
Persad-Bissessar reported for the period February 29, 2024, to May 20, 2025, was $135,634,712.48.
Documents provided to the media showed the most tax collected was by the Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation, with over $23 million collected.
Persad-Bissessar questioned as to where all the money collected from the highly controversial property tax went.
She said, “The last government collected this property tax and 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.”
Persad-Bissessar said the former government needed to account for where all the money went, especially as people “in good faith” followed the then law and paid it.
Before moving on she said, “I warned people, do not pay this property tax.”
Asked during the Q&A portion of the press briefing as to whether there had been any word as to whether those who paid tax would be refunded as it had now been repealed, Persad-Bissessar said she was unable to answer that question.
Money collected by the Government in each regional corporation between the period February 29, 2024, to May 20, 2025, was as follows:
- Arima Borough Corporation – $3,959,041.67
- Chaguanas Borough Corporation – $11,548,101.65
- Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo Regional Corporation – $16,756,360.91
- Diego Martin Regional Corporation – $16,947,358.98
- Penal-Debe Regional Corporation – $10, 885,191.53
- Point Fortin Borough Corporation – $1,754,335.00
- Port of Spain City Corporation – $4,380,975.48
- Princes Town Regional Corporation –$7,595.624.21
- Rio Claro-Mayaro Regional Corporation-$1,691,510.40
- San Fernando City Corporation- $11,314,846.28
- San Juan Laventille Regional Corporation-$12,116,711.60
- Sangre Grande Regional Corporation-$3,353,401.80
- Siparia Regional Corporation-$6,015,095.53
- Tobago House of Assembly –$4,071,066.11
- Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation – $23,245,091.33
