Tala
newsletter September 2015
IMMOVABLE PROPERTY TAX 2015 - Payable to the Tax Authorities in
Paphos
The tax will remain the same as last
year, ie based on the 1980 property value, despite the Government
proposal to
base the tax on the new 2013 property valuations.
It is
understood that a 10% discount will apply if the tax is paid by 31st October. Otherwise the tax
must be paid by 30th November
or a 10% penalty, interest, administrative fee and ‘other charges’ will
be
applied if you have not paid after this date. However,
please note that the Government has not yet confirmed this situation and an
email will follow once a decision has been announced.
For those who have not yet received
their title deeds [and please read to the end of this notice as there is an
update], you will no longer pay the tax to your developer [with the usual add
ons for ‘administration’ etc].
This means that you will pay a lower tax
than you would otherwise [as the developer would be paying the
tax at 1.9%].
Property developers are required
to provide the authorities with details of properties they have sold but
which
have yet to be transferred to the purchasers.
These are:
· The distinctive features of the sold
unit
· The name and address of the purchaser
or transferee or beneficiary of the unit
· The date of sale or assignment
· The date of completion of the building
· The date of delivery of possession of
the building
This then enables the Land Registry to
assess the 1980 value of the property in question and the Inland
Revenue can
issue an IPT notice to the purchaser.
The law contains provisions that remove
a purchaser’s obligation to pay IPT if their development company
is in
liquidation or if the delay in issue of the title deeds is the fault of the
owner [developer] .
Immovable
Property Tax rates:
Assessed
1980 property value
|
Tax
rate
|
Tax
|
Cumulative
Tax
|
€1 to €12,500
|
Nil
|
€0
|
€0
|
€12,501
to €40,000
|
0.6%
|
€240*
|
€240*
|
€40,001
to €120,000
|
0.8%
|
€640
|
€880
|
€120,001
to €170,000
|
0.9%
|
€450
|
€1330
|
€170,001
to €300,000
|
1.1%
|
€1,430
|
€2,760
|
€300,001
to €500,000
|
1.3%
|
€2,600
|
€5,360
|
€500,001
to €800,000
|
1.5%
|
€4,500
|
€9,860
|
€800,001
to €3,000,000
|
1.7%
|
€37,400
|
€47,260
|
€3,000,001 onwards
|
1.9%
|
*Those owning property where the total
value is in excess of €12,500 will pay tax on the total 1980 value.
The Inland Revenue will issue notices
during August and September – but please note that non-receipt will
not be
accepted as an excuse for non-payment! If you do not receive a
notice, please visit the Tax Office in Paphos to collect it.
Please note that to pay via
jccsmart you will need to quote the reference shown on your 2015 tax notice.
For payment via the banks, you will need
your tax assessment, your identity card [might be an idea to
have your passport
with you as well] and payment.
For those without title deeds:
· Ensure your developer has your correct
postal address and contact details so that the Inland Revenue send your IPT
notice to the correct address.
· Do not pay 2015 IPT to your developer
[nor the 2014 tax if this has still not been paid].
· If you believe the 1980 valuation shown
on your IPT notice is too high you may query this
with the Inland Revenue
· If you believe the IPT has been
incorrectly calculated by the Inland Revenue you may
challenge this
Where the property of a deceased person
has not yet been transferred to the legal heirs, the legal
heirs have an
obligation to pay the correct amount of tax to the Inland Revenue by
incorporating
their share of the property inherited on their tax declaration.
For those without title deeds,
please note that the information shown may be subject to change as
we
understand that there may be a problem extracting the information from the
developers for
people where title deeds have not yet been issued and where the
developer is deemed responsible
for the non-issuance of title deeds – as in the
case of properties sold while encumbered with a
mortgage already taken out on
it. Regrettably, if you don’t have title deeds and don’t receive a
tax
notice in August or September, you will either have to contact your developer
or visit the
Inland Revenue office.
IMMOVABLE PROPERTY TAX – LOCAL – Payable to Tala Council
Despite the notification in the last newsletter
that this tax had been scrapped and incorporated into the
IPT payable to the
Tax Office, as the Government have belatedly advised that they will now
continue taxation based on the current criteria [ie 1980 property values], this
tax will be payable, as in previous years, to Tala Council.
This tax
is payable once you have your title deeds.
Demand notices are not issued and it is the responsibility of every
property owner to settle their accounts.
Please note that payment must be made before 18th December to
avoid payment of a 25% penalty. Those who, through choice or
necessity, have yet to have their house value included on their title deeds,
only pay on the value of the land they hold title to.
If you have only acquired your title deeds this
year, please take your title deeds into the Council office
when you go to pay
this tax.
IMMOVABLE
PROPERTY TAX – PROPERTY VALUATIONS AT 1.1.2013
Regarding Immovable
Property Tax, the Land and Survey Department has assessed the value of your
property as at 1 January 2013. You can now view this information -
www.moi.gov.cy/dls and check for your valuation. Please note
that this value will not be used for the tax for 2015 but will probably be used
in 2016 as the Government moves towards current valuations rather than 1980
valuations for property taxation.
If you disagree with
the value, you may object by sending a written letter to Mr Kyriakos Tsoulakis
[Survey Department Deputy] before 31 December 2015. His telephone number
is 22 804881 and his email address is ktsolakis@dls.moi.gov.cy.
Any additional information may be obtained by phoning 77 777730 - Petros Foutas
the Council Executive Secretary. A fee may be imposed for the revaluation.
To find your property
valuation:
1. Go to the land and
surveys page via http://www.moi.gov.cy/dls
2. Choose the English
language on the top-left side of the page
3. Click on “locate
your parcel” [aerial map of Cyprus which changes to become Locate Your Parcel]
4. Choose your
language again (English)
5. Tick on the
box “I agree to the above terms of use”
6. Select area; click
Paphos and then Tala
7. Select advanced
search (sheet and plan ref: it is displayed on your contract with your
developer, or as shown on your title deeds]. Press Ok.
8. You can then view
your plot. Various pieces of information are shown. On the last row
of the column, click on Valuation and you will see your plot value.
If you need to visit
the Paphos Land Registry to appeal against your valuation, please note that if
you approach the Land Registry, go into the entrance where the lift doors are
facing you. To the right of the lift
there is a door, go through this and you will find an office with four ladies
in specifically to deal with appeals.
There is a lengthy form to complete [in Greek] which they assist you
with and your appeal could take up to 6 months to be dealt with.
If there is, in fact,
a typing error on your title deeds, be prepared to be passed to another person
in the building and, again, you will have to wait for a period, whilst a full
investigation is carried out.
TAXATION – TALA COUNCIL – RATES & REFUSE 2015
Invoices are in the process of being issued and should be received
shortly. For 2015, the
taxation bands
will be as follows:
A – Community Tax/Rates:
1.Luxury Villas [300m or more
with a pool] €
200- € 500
2.Detached Houses €
170
3.Maisonettes, or houses over 2
sites on shared plot €
120
4.Single room stone village house
within the village
€ 50
5.Apartments
€ 110
6.Pensioners with low income
[less than €700 total per month*] €
80
7.Underpriviledged families €80
8.Land Plots/parcels. Co-owners charged accordingly €60
9.Owners of more than one piece
of land €
100
10.Small companies €
100 - € 500
11.Large companies €850 - € 4,000
12.Radiostations, tv stations,
masts/aerials, etc €500
13.Houses under construction € 100
14 Those
who sell up and leave the island, will be due to pay based on the period of ownership
of their property.
B – Refuse Collection/Cleaning
Tax and Business Tax
1.For each residential unit apart
from a] and b] below €100
a]
single room stone village houses € 50
b]
pensioners on low incomes [less than
€700 per month*]
and underpriviledged families €50
2.Small shops, mini markets €150
3 Restaurants, pubs, tavernas
€250
4.Coffee shops
€ 50
5.Periptero, Visteria €500
6.Pharmacy €300
7.Co-operative Bank €500
8.Monastery cafeteria €250
9
Betting shop €250
*Anyone who falls into this
category must prove their income to the satisfaction of the Council. Original bank statements [for UK and Cypriot
accounts] will be required, as will written confirmation from any pension
providers. Additional documentation may
be required, depending on circumstances.
If you fall into this category, please submit your details in writing to
the council office.
In addition to the above:
1.Large families are entitled to
a 25% discount and families with 3 children
10% for both assessments providing no other category of deduction applies. The reduction is subject to presentation of
renewed large family cards or certificates relating to dependent children. If no large family card is available, birth
certificates of all dependent children must be presented.
2.Vacant homes and homes under
construction are excluded from the refuse tax.
Houses uninhabited for some time will be judged individually.
3.For each additional vacant
house to the main residence, an additional € 50 is payable if the taxpayer is
taxed already for another house. (eg an
owner is taxed on the residence where he lives €170 tax for community services
and € 100 refuse. If he has another house which remains vacant the owner will pay another amount for community
services of € 50.)
4.Single adults who work and live
with their parents € 50. Those who are unemployed or are students are excluded.
5. Long standing dormant
companies will be taxed €50 for each apartment.
C – Cemetery Tax
The Cemetery Tax remains the
same, ie an amount of €20 per household.
Tenants of properties are excluded as are those belonging to a
non-Christian religion.
As previously advised, any
cemetery tax must by law be paid into a separate Council account and the money specifically used for the new
cemetery.
These taxes can be paid in instalments. Please contact the Council Office before 18th
December to discuss.
For those who have elected to pay
by direct debit, payments will be taken
on or around the 20th October.
An exact date cannot be given as once the Council apply to the Banks,
control is out of our hands. At the
time of writing this newsletter, Tala Council is still waiting for acceptance
on the JCC Smart system, so payment
cannot yet be made online.
CEMETERY
I can now
advise that the cemetery is available
for use and plots will be at the price of €850, or €900 if a double plot [ie
with deeper depth to cater for two bodies] is required. As notified in the last newsletter, plots
are available for pre-purchase at the price of €750, or €800 for a double plot. Plots numbered 72-99 will be the first
batch of plots released. A plan of the
cemetery is on www.talanews.blogspot.com under New
Cemetery Plan, News.
The plot price
for those who have not paid the cemetery tax, or for those who are non-Tala
residents, will be €2,000.
The
contractors for the cemetery will complete all work required for Phase 1 of the
project. They will also implement
asphalting the car park area and providing a covered area for shade/weather
protection [Phase 2], and this work will be financed from the cemetery tax
collected for 2015.
Thereafter,
the cemetery will be self-financing and the only tax envisaged from 2016
onwards is €5 per household per annum to cover maintenance of the cemetery and
plots.
As advised
in the last newsletter, the cemetery tax is payable by everyone [other than
non-Christians and anyone who is a tenant of a property] regardless of any
personal arrangements or preferences. As also mentioned previously, due to the
costs involved, the council will not take measures to pursue payment. However, if the tax remains unpaid, a
non-payment penalty will apply each year, and the tax will have to be settled
at the time of any property sale. Should
a plot be required by anyone in this situation before any property sale, the
higher plot rate of €2,000 will apply.
TALA SQUARE
The work for
the pedestrianisation of the square will go out to tender this month, with the
first phase of the work to start, all being well, in October once the main
tourist season is over.
RECYCLING/GARDEN
WASTE/FLY TIPPING
Given the fly
tipping which has taken place at the recycling area on Koralion, this area is
in the process of being cleaned and cleared and the recycling bins will be
removed. We are also looking at
redesigning the recycling centre at the bottom of Stephanie, as you approach from
Emba, to try and minimise the mess and prevent wholesale dumping.
Regarding
the Stephanie recycling site, the Ecre building site nearby has a large green
bin for the workmen to use, and we have spoken to the developer to ask that
they stop any workmen dropping litter and ensure that rubbish is placed in that
bin.
Regarding
garden waste, please note that by law the Council is only obliged to remove
household refuse from your property. If
you employ gardeners can you please stress to them that they must not dump
garden waste and, if necessary, please ask what happens to any garden waste
which they remove. None of the garden
waste should be dumped, but neither should it be placed in any of the large
green refuse bins as these are intended for household refuse, nor deposited at
the recycling centres. Garden waste
should either be taken to the site at Akoursos, or the private garden waste
site [in which case Andreas will provide
a receipt if required to the gardener so they can prove how they have disposed
of the cuttings] in Tala. In addition
to the dumping on Koralion, large quantities of garden waste are being thrown
into ravines – this provides a good nesting ground for vermin and snakes, and
is a fire hazard in the summer months. It
is also impossible to remove it.
Further,
please ensure that garden cuttings are not dumped on empty plots, green areas or in ravines. The owners of these areas can sue anyone
caught, and as a Council we can fine plot owners. Thanks to a number of vigilant houseowners,
a number of registration numbers of offenders seen dumping around Tala have
been provided and action is being taken against them.
The Council
will no longer provide a collection service for garden waste – this was proving
too time consuming and we have also been faced with the situation that the site
at Akoursos would not take bulk deliveries of bagged rubbish from us without
our council staff opening up each bag to demonstrate the contents and prove
that each load taken had been sorted before delivery. Given the limited outside staff that we have
[3 plus a supervisor to cover the 55 kilometres of residential roads in Tala,
plus many green areas and the Constantinos Leventis park], this was not
practical and was preventing the men from carrying out routine tasks.
Cyprus is
under pressure from the EU to reduce the amount of rubbish put into landfill
sites or risk a large fine. Please
recycle whatever household waste you can – separating this into glass, paper
and plastics.
The
Government operated site for garden waste recycling [Green Point] is now open at
Akoursos, in an old quarry on the left hand side of the road to Akoursos
village. No charge is made for using
the site. However, it is only open
on the following days:
Monday 0800-1800
Wednesday 0800-1800
Friday 0800-1800
Saturday 0900-1500
Tuesday,
Thursday and Sunday CLOSED
Options for
garden waste:
1
Branches, palm leaves and tree cuttings - Taken
by the householder to the free site above
2
Collection of up to 2 bags of garden waste
[excluding branches, palm leaves and tree cuttings] by the refuse
collectors. Note, however, that
priority will be given to household rubbish and garden waste may not always be
taken if refuse levels are higher than usual.
3
Purchase orange
Tala Council bags at the Council office if heavy duty bags are needed. They should then be left out for the refuse
collectors who will remove up to 2 bags at a time, or taken to the private
site, or collection arranged by Andreas.
Any blue Tala Council bags which you already have should be disposed of
in the same way.
4
Take any bags to
the private garden waste centre in Tala – a charge will be made of €1 for the
first bag, and €0.50 for each additional bag.
The site is open Tuesday 0900-1200, and Saturday 0900-1200 and
1400-1600]. However, if you phone the
site beforehand, arrangements can be made to open up outside of these times, if
required.
5
Arrange for
collection by the private garden waste collector – the charge will depend on
the volume/vehicle required.
Please also bear in mind that the private garden waste
collector will pick up domestic appliances free of charge. There is a drop off fee for wooden furniture
items, and home pick-up is offered for a supplementary charge.
Private garden waste collector – Andreas 99 327262
HOUSEHOLD
REFUSE
We are
regrettably still receiving the odd notification of non-collection of household
refuse and would ask that you continue to advise either the council office, or
email Cathi [toffee@primehome.com] with a note of your name and address, number of bags omitted and dates of
non-collection so that I can use this as evidence against the contractor.
AMPHITHEATRE
CAFE
Please note that the café is currently open every day from
5pm and will be open from 10 am till late from 17th
September. They are serving teas and coffees, drinks and cocktails
and light meals. For any information please contact Penny on 99769719 or
Robert on 99064355. There are fantastic views from the café and some
spectacular sunsets to be seen.
TALA COUNCIL
LIBRARY
The library [predominantly Greek books] currently
situated in the room above the council offices is in the process of being moved
to the area adjacent to the welfare centre.
DOGS
Those of you
who have dog licences are reminded that renewal of licences is now due and
payment should be made at the council office.
Those who do
not have licences, you are reminded of the need to have a medical book and
licence for each dog that you own. Each
animal should also be chipped. Further,
please ensure that you pick up after your dog, do not allow any dog to roam off
a lead, and ensure a nuisance is not created to your neighbours by barking.
MEAL SERVICE
Just to remind you that a hot
meal delivery service is available which will be delivered direct to your door.
This will be ideal not only for anyone who is housebound, but for those
recovering from an operation, temporarily on their own, unable to leave the house for any reason, on
holiday or wanting to entertain and save themselves the hassle of cooking – or
avoid the heat in the kitchen over the summer months! If needed, additional meals can be provided
suitable for freezing or keeping in the fridge but in the initial stages the
hot meal delivery will be restricted to Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. The menus will be emailed out weekly and
will be available to view on www.talanews.blogspot.com.
Working under the auspices of
SKE [Welfare Centre], Marie and Emma will initially be providing a lunch on
Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. This will
consist of a main course and a dessert.
Special dietary requirements can be catered for if needed. The meal on a Sunday will be a traditional
Sunday lunch.
The cost of the lunch will be
€7.50 per person with free delivery to residents of Tala. Anyone outside of the Tala area will be
charged €1 for delivery.
For further information or to
order lunch, please contact Marie and Emma on 97 725903 or email: emmaguy52@hotmail.com. Please bear in mind that you will need to
give 24 hours notice of your order.
WHAT’S ON
Sept
5 & 6 Open Studios weekend across the
island – list of local artists participating on
www.talanews.blogspot.com. Please support the Tala artists by visiting
their studios.
11 Fleetwood
Mac tribute from the UK – at the Amphitheatre
12 Monsieur Doumani - at the
Amphitheatre [Pafos 2017 event]
13 Fleetwood Mac tribute from the
UK – at the Amphitheatre
19 Andrea Morelli as Dino
Cappuccino at Vatouthkia Restaurant
20 Papageorgio String Quartet performing
rock and pop – at the Amphitheatre
25 Bee
Gees tribute from the UK – at the Amphitheatre
27 Bee Gees tribute from the UK –
at the Amphitheatre
30 Night under the Stars – Kamares
Club
Oct
3 The Elvis Years by Mario - direct from the UK – at the Amphitheatre
11 Simon & Garfunkel tribute
from the UK – at the Amphitheatre
31 Halloween Purzaar3 at the
Monastery Café – for Tala Monastery Cats
31 Halloween Monster Hits of the
60s at Vatouthkia
Tickets for most
amphitheatre shows available from
Visteria Kiosk in Tala, or they can be reserved for collection and payment on
the night, on www.talanews.blogspot.com.
Events at
Kamares Club must be booked direct with the Club.
Events at
Vatouthkia – tickets available from Vatouthkia, in some cases at Visteria Kiosk
in Tala, or otherwise on 96 818066 or 99 751007
Next issue 20
November
Areti Pieridou
