President Irfaan Ali has committed to an advance payment of taxes to City Hall to the tune of $100M during an engagement with the Mayor of Georgetown, Pandit Ubraj Narine, the Deputy Mayor, Alfred Mentore, and a ministerial team at State House earlier today.
President Ali and the group discussed a range of issues affecting City Hall as well as ways of strengthening collaboration between the Central Government and the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).The President said that the “city and the national heritage of the city is a reflection of ourselves,” and pointed to the need for protection and preservation.
He called City Hall and its adjacent buildings important historical sites that need to be maintained.
“These things will cost a fortune to rehabilitate. But we have to start. We will pay a sum of the Government taxes in advance towards these projects. So we can have approval on that, so you can move that forward,” he told the Mayor.
Senior Minister within the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall; and Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Anand Persaud were also in attendance.
