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Farmers Are Demanded to Pay Long-abolished Land Taxes from Small Farmer

December 26, 2008

Gela Mtivlishvili,Kakheti

Farmers have reported to the Human Rights Centre that in 2000 Dedoplistskaro district was declared a natural disaster zone of and consequently, former president Eduard Shevardnadze ordered at that time Georgian government to abolish taxes on land plots in the district. However, district tax inspections still demand locals to pay taxes on their small land holdings. This is especially worrying since on July 11 2007 amendments were introduced to the Tax Code and these abolished taxes all together on land-owners, private persons and local authority on the debts accumulated in arrears prior to January 1 2005. Thus, as lawyers define, the land owners were discharged from the debts they had accumulated in arrears before January 1, 2005. However, the commission of the Ministry of Finances passed a resolution on November 21, 2008 which ordered regional tax inspections to demand farmers to pay taxes and penalty charges on land holding dating back to 2000.

The land owners state they do not intend to pay the taxes and accumulated penalties. However, the penalties continue to add up each day. Nearly 5 400 people this same problem, which has only been noted in the Dedoplistskaro district.

Nobody is making comments on the resolution of the Ministry of Finances; neither are officials from regional tax inspection speaking about it, at least openly.

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