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alexk
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Hours after listening to the concerns of local pundits that Hindus who have temples at their homes would have to pay Property Tax on the religious structures, Finance Minister Colm Imbert has reportedly instructed officials to “explore” what legal avenues and options are available to exempt these structures from punitive taxation.
That was the word yesterday from spiritual head of the Satya Anand Ashram in Aranguez Pundit Satyanand Maharaj, who said while this was a positive step nothing definitive has yet been decided.
Just over a month ago, Maharaj accused the Government of targeting the Hindu diaspora via the Property Tax after he said no considerations were made for places of worship at people’s homes.
Imbert, along with a delegation from the ministry, which included the Deputy Permanent Secretary, Chief Valuation Officer and a Valuation Officer, met with Maharaj and others on Friday to discuss the effect it would have on members of the Hindu community.
In a brief statement yesterday, Maharaj said following the meeting, “Minister Imbert instructed the Chief Valuator to explore legal avenues and options that will exempt home temples from such punitive taxation.”
He said although the meeting was cordial, “it was determined that a taxation value will be placed upon all structures to determine value and rental value.”
Maharaj claimed that while Imbert was interested in the feedback from the representatives, he admitted that “he did not take into account that the Hindu community will have to pay an additional tax for external structures such as the home temple”.
Additionally, Maharaj said Imbert had indicated that as the Property Tax was expected to become effective in 2019, “there was time to fix the oversight of excluding the temple tax”.
He added, “An assurance was given by Minister Imbert that protection will be given for temples that are private places of prayer, and this will be inserted somewhere in policy or legislation and not merely left to the discretion of valuators as it was traditionally.”
Maharaj had called for an urgent meeting of local pundits in June to discuss what he claimed was an inadvertent attack by Government on the Hindu diaspora via the Property Tax. At the time, he had said, “Those who have had temples built at their homes would now have them evaluated as an external structure which they will be required to pay tax on.”
He said if concerns were not addressed, the Property Tax would become a deterrent to the Hindu way of life.
Contacted yesterday, Maharaj said he was happy Imbert had taken time to meet with them and “had listened and promised to act on the matter.”
Maharaj said the ministerial committee agreed it was a very real concern, as nothing had been put in place to protect the Hindu community from unfair taxation.
However, Maharaj added that Imbert promised to see how best they can remedy the situation so that temples, domestic or otherwise, are not taxed.
He concluded, “We will continue to monitor the situation with a keen eye.”