“PPP/C doesn’t owe any money to City Council” – Parag tells Opposition MPs

…urge PNC to settle overdue $6.7B rates and taxes to M&CC

In a heated parliamentary debate, Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Sonia Parag, declared that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) does not owe “a cent” to the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (GM&CC), pushing back against Opposition claims of a staggering $13 billion debt.
The minister made these remarks during the 101st sitting of the 12th Parliament, while responding to Opposition Members of Parliament (MP) Ganesh Mahipaul, Annette Ferguson and Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones.
During the session, Jones accused the PPP/C government accumulating unpaid taxes to the tune of $7.7 billion.
“All political parties owe the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, based on the records I received from council the People’s Progressive Party Civic owe council and if the figure is correct, it is sum $7.7 billion… I have here Sir a list of Government Ministries that owes rates and taxes to the Georgetown Mayor and City Council and in this list sir the Ministry of Health building Battey Road Kingston $1.334024 million, Ministry of Public Works Water Street Kingston $1.103 million, Ministry of Public Works 16 Mud water Kingston $606,000, Ministry of Public Works Water Street Kingston $16.865359 million, Guyana Police Force Ruimveldt location $235,000 and the list goes on,” he said.
Responding to accusations, Parag dismissed the figures as baseless and reaffirmed that the PPP/C government has consistently honored its financial obligations.
“The people’s Progressive Party Civic does not owe any money to the city hall. No money whatsoever… And as a matter of fact, they have paid by the year. By the year we pay. When an invoice is given to our party, we go and pay our money to city council. The PNC is not doing that,” the minister said.
In contrast, Parag contended that records show it is the People’s National Congress (PNC) that has outstanding financial obligations to the city council, amounting to $6.7 billion and more.
Parag also pointed out that the M&CC, which has long been under the control of the PNC and the APNU, has consistently mismanaged resources.
“Mr. Speaker, and I have the evidence of this. And permit me to tell you about this. The Mayor and City Council has deducted from employees PAYE and they have not remitted $1.7 billion to the GRA. No one knows where that $1.7 billion deduced from the employees. No one knows where that is. And it is circulated in a document. And I can tell you, the Human Resource Management Department administered and approved one monthly payroll amounting to $103,437,900, inclusive of $5,008,801 in overtime. Statutory deductions were made. This is only a part of the $1.7 statutory deductions were made, but they were not remitted to the GRE. Mr. Speaker, no one knows what the City Council has done with that money,” she added.
On this point, the Local Government and Regional Development Minister reiterated that the PPP/C has no outstanding financial obligations to the city council, and it is the opposition that must account for its own financial mismanagement.