$4M FROM PROPERTY AUCTION

By Tre Greaves tregreaves@nationnews.com

More than $4 million was netted yesterday when the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) auctioned off seven properties for failure to pay land tax.

Communications officer at the BRA, Erica Lazare, speaking following the auction held at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology (SJPI) in Wildey, St Michael, made it clear that the funds are only used to settle arrears.

“On June 22, we issued a notice for sale for 30 properties with land tax debt. This is something that we do increasingly now. The 30 properties came down to 24 on July 20. Some of the property owners came and settled within that period, and now we have started with nine this morning “When we add up the top bids for each property . . . if we collect that money, it would be $4.22 million for seven properties,” she said.

Lazare stressed that auctioning off the properties was not their first option.

“The revenue is only to pay off the land tax debt. The BRA is only interested in making sure that the land tax has been covered. Any excess will go to the property owners.

“This auction is a last resort. We always do everything we can to make sure that we cover [everything] before we get to this period. Our intention is not to take away somebody’s property. We try to speak to people and engage people who owe taxes to see if we can work out an arrangement. They may be able to make payments or settle in full, but we always try to work with you to get it paid off,” she explained.

Benjamin Niles, one of those who visited SJPI, said he was disappointed by the process, and peeved that some of the properties previously advertised were taken off the auction block.

“They advertise the properties and then allow the people to come and pay off even on the morning of the sale. There should be a cut-off point before the sale,” he lamented.

“Many of the persons who came here came here thinking that the property that they were anticipating would have been for sale, but some weren’t for sale; they were taken off the list.

“So I think the department needs to be more efficient in their administration of this matter so that those who are coming here can get what they came to bid for,” he said.

A couple, who declined to give their names, said the visit was not a waste.

“It is a good experience because we learned a lot and going forward we know what to do. This shows us that even if you buy land, you still have to pay land tax,” the man said.

In response to the criticisms, Lazare said: “We have to work with the property owners because our main mandate is to collect the land tax arrears. We try to give them the opportunity to make good on those outstanding amounts.”

She encouraged the public to check out their website at bra.gov.bb or their social media pages for updates.

BRA auctioneer Gordon Broome leading the auction at SJPI yesterday. (Pictures by Reco Moore.)

Barbados Revenue Authority communications officer Erica Lazare said they raised $4.22 million from the sale of the seven properties.