Lieutenant Governor Gregory R. Francis today clarified the intent of the proposed legislation submitted to the 28th Legislature of the Virgin Islands which seeks to allow the sale of real property tax receipts in order to raise critically needed funds for government operations.  Lt. Governor Francis said he wanted to ease any concerns and assure everyone in the community that the collection of property taxes will not be privatized.

“The proposed legislation seeks only to use the real property tax receipts as collateral for loans that would allow us to maintain overall government operations,” Lt. Governor Francis said. He emphasized that should the legislation be approved, current tax collection practices would remain unchanged and there would be no risk involved for VI property owners.  Tax payments would be paid directly to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor as customary.

“Nothing will change with respect to who owns mortgages on any property and nothing will change with respect to who collects the property taxes.”    Lt. Governor Francis further reassures the public that no third party group or lender will have the right to independently pursue delinquent taxes or impose liens on their property.

“The Office of the Lieutenant Governor is sensitive to the concerns of the community, and also to the financial hardships being experienced throughout our community,” said Lt. Governor Francis.  The Office of the Lt. Governor continues to explore ways to minimize the financial impact of property tax collection, including the recent promulgation of proposed rules and regulations implementing payment plans for Virgin Islands property taxes. 

Lt. Governor Francis is encouraging property owners to provide input on the proposed rules and regulations, which have been released for a 20 day public comment and review period that ends on March 24, 2010. 

“This is a valuable opportunity for the public to have a say on something that impacts them directly,” he said. 

The proposed rules are available for viewing on the Lt. Governor’s website at www.ltg.gov.vi or at the main administrative offices of the Lieutenant Governor located in Government House on St. Croix and on Kongens Gade on St. Thomas. The rules are also available at public libraries throughout the territory.  The public may submit comments on the proposed rules by mail to the Office of the Lt. Governor or electronically to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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