Opposition MP Sherfield Bowen has branded the Tax Administration and Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2025 “draconian,” arguing that it gives government sweeping powers to seize and sell private property for unpaid taxes without adequate protection for homeowners.
Speaking during Thursday’s parliamentary debate, the St. Philip’s South MP said the bill—tabled as a tool to manage derelict and abandoned properties—could unfairly target people who simply fall behind on property tax payments. “There is no precondition that the property be derelict or abandoned,” Bowen said. “If you default on a single property tax, you can fall under the draconianness of this bill and have your property sold.”
Bowen urged several amendments to make the law more equitable. He recommended that properties be officially declared abandoned or derelict before any sale is considered, giving owners a fair opportunity to remedy the problem. He also called for government to clean and maintain the property for several years—charging the costs to the land—before pursuing a sale.
“I would say there should be at least five annual cleanings before the condition would arise for execution,” Bowen told the House. “How fair would it be that the government uses long arms to attack the taxpayer’s property and just sell it?”
He also objected to the clause allowing tax collection after a 30-day notice, calling it unreasonable. “It cannot be fair until the taxpayer has failed to pay something more than a year, not 30 days,” he said.
Bowen further recommended multiple written notices and personal service before any enforcement action and argued that the government should only sell a property after it had built equity through years of maintenance, not by liquidating a taxpayer’s investment.
“These measures must be reviewed,” Bowen said. “If the goal is to clean the property up, the government can clean the property and charge it to the land—but not sell it upon the taxpayer’s equity.”
The bill passed later that day with government support, despite Bowen’s objections and calls for stronger homeowner safeguards.
