Old Age Pensioners Exempt from Paying Tax

By Anna Ramdass, Trinidad Express

December 22, 2009 

Trinidad and Tobago

Elderly people who receive senior citizen’s grants are exempt from paying property tax, Government Minister Colm Imbert said yesterday. 

’The Property Tax bill makes it very clear that the recipients of the senior citizen’s grant, previously known as the old age pension, persons who are recipient of the (Targeted) Conditional Cash (Transfer) Card, persons who are in receipt of disability grants are exempt,’ said Imbert during his contribution to the debate on the proposed property tax bill at the Parliament sitting yesterday. 
Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar shot back ’No, no, they are deferred.’ 

Imbert replied, ’As long as they are going to be in receipt of an old age pension they won’t have to pay!’. 

He said: ’If a person is in receipt of a senior citizen’s grant, one assumes for the rest of their natural life they will be in receipt of a senior citizen grant. What income earning capacity would a 75 year old person have to increase their income beyond the minimum threshold that they qualify for at age 65.’ 

’Therefore since the persons who are in receipt of the senior citizen’s grant, the old age pension, will be exempt from paying the tax. Let me make it very clear that is the concept of deferral, they are exempt, they don’t have to pay and one assumes that for the rest of their natural life they will be recipients of old age pension, they will never have to pay the tax. It is so simple,’ said Imbert. 

Speaking before Imbert, Persad-Bissessar called on Prime Minister Patrick Manning to immediately fire Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) executive chairman Calder Hart. She said Hart currently receives a quarter of a million every month in salary and perks and if there was not so much leakage of the public purse, Government would not have impose the property tax on the people.

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