Damion Mitchell, News Coordinator

The National Land Agency (NLA) is facing a mounting backlog in appeals against land valuations owing to a serious staff shortage and the lack of service vehicles.

There are about 30,000 appeals which are yet to be processed, some dating back to 2002, when the last national land valuation was conducted, according to Gleaner sources.

An official at the agency confirmed yesterday that the problem was becoming increasingly severe with property owners often visiting the land agency's main Ardenne Road offices in St. Andrew, to complain about the protracted delay in processing their appeals.

"There's a real problem here," the official emphasised.

Yesterday, The Gleaner was unable to reach Pearl Piccott, the commissioner of land valuation, to comment on the issue, as she was not in office. The NLA's manager for the southern region, Eric Allen, was also unavailable for comment.

But, another official at the agency said there was not enough field officers to process land valuation appeals and simultaneously respond to government demands to assess its lands.

No vehicles

At the same time, the NLA officer said that several four-wheel drive vehicles, acquired for field officers sometime ago, have been out of operation, limiting their ability to travel to re-evaluate lands for which their owners have appealed against the proposed value.

Lands with higher values attract higher property taxes.

Contacted yesterday, Mark Kerr-Jarrett, a former president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce, said that any backlog in this area could have far-reaching implications.

He had been lobbying for the Government to reduce the tax imposed on agricultural lands. "Most of the people may only make a payment on the taxes, because once you make a downpayment, they (NLA) cannot impose penalties and interest," Mr. Jarrett said. He further said this could seriously affect property tax revenues resulting in national budgetary concerns.