00:00The People's National Movement continues to push back against the government's landlord business surcharge,
00:06saying it is worrying to small business operators in particular.
00:10The opposition claims that some landlords have already started increasing their rents,
00:14an indication that many will seek to pass on the additional cost.
00:18Landlords have been given a deadline of May 30th to register with the Inland Revenue Division.
00:23At any rate low, Sinclair O'Neill is concerned about what might be a possible breach of privacy
00:29which he believes could present security risks for individuals.
00:33Now in my opinion, the most alarming legal provision is Section 81-4,
00:40which creates a public register for rented premises.
00:45This register, which contains your name, address, and property details,
00:50is open to inspection by any person who pays a small fee.
00:58He also questions what happens if a landlord leases a building
01:02and the tenant then sublets the space to others.
01:06O'Neill says it opens up the possibility of double taxation.
01:11Be aware of Section 89.
01:15Government has moved from civil penalties to criminal penalties.
01:20If you receive rent for a premises that is not registered,
01:24or if you provide information that the board deems false,
01:28you are liable on summary conviction to a fine of $250,000 and three years' imprisonment.
01:36Then there is a question of inequity,
01:39where wealthy people who do not rent their properties will not pay a cent.
01:43But in contrast...
01:45The elderly person who has a little annex next to their home
01:48that they might be renting for $1,000 a month,
01:52if by the 30th of May they do not register themselves as a landlord,
02:02they are liable to a fine of $250,000 and jail for three years.
02:11This is madness.
02:13Madness.
02:15MPCOM Imbert states that 100,000 landlords stand to be impacted
02:20as it applies to everyone collecting rent,
02:23including for land for the purpose of agriculture
02:25and a lot of other classifications of property.
02:29He expects that government will extend the time
02:32saying the legislation cannot work in its present form
02:35due to several irregularities,
02:37including the surcharge being due by May 10th,
02:41but a time for registration going beyond that.
02:45There's not only PNM people that are renting, you know.
02:48There's UNC too.
02:49And they might have more UNC landlords
02:52than PNM landlords in Trinidad and Tobago.
02:54PNM Youth Speaker Jean-Paul Charles says
02:58it might also impact young people who are entering the workforce
03:01and living on their own for what might be the first time.
03:06This means that young renters are now paying more,
03:09not because of improved living conditions or added value,
03:14but simply because the cost burden has shifted.
03:18No online system for registration or payment is another issue raised.
03:24Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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