Property Tax Deadline approaches

(ZIZ News) — The Inland Revenue Department is urging all Property Tax payers to recognize the June 30th deadline.

Norvin Rawlins, Chief Valuation Officer in the Inland Revenue Department, said it is people’s civic duty because when taxes are paid on time, the government is at ease to fulfill its social obligations.

“We want to say to each and every Kittitian-Nevisian or even persons who are not Kittitians or Nevisians and want St. Kitts to develop and want St. Kitts to move forward for the government to fund a lot of the social programmes that they have in line for 2015 and beyond, that they should do their civic duty and pay their Property Taxes on time,” Rawlins said.

“Contrary to what most persons believe, the Inland Revenue basically prefers to collect the current taxes and collect it on time because of course the government has its social projects to fund,” he continued.

In the meantime, tax payers have multiple channels to pay their taxes outside of the traditional waiting in lines.

Rawlins said, “We basically ask our tax payers or have offered the service to our tax payers for them to pay online and if you’re living in St. Kitts you’re asked to come into the office and [bring] two IDs: driver’s license, passports, National ID, Social Security Card and ask one of the persons…one of the clerks at the Enquiries Desk to register you so you could settle your property taxes online.”

Similarly, for persons not living in St. Kitts and Nevis, the officer said two pieces of identification can be copied and a notarized letter should accompany them.

The Chief Valuation Officer said after the June 30th deadline, the Property Tax attracts a one percent interest rate monthly, translating to 12 percent annually.