As of January 1, 2008, all property tax collected by the Government will go directly to the parish councils.

The move is in keeping with strategies that the Government intends to pursue over the next two years to place more responsibility in the hands of the local authorities as part of the reform process.

"That money is to pay for street lighting and solid waste collection," explained Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government, Robert Montague, at a Kiwanis Club of St. Andrew meeting held recently at the Hilton Kingston hotel.

"What happens today is that the utility company is paid whether the street lights work or not because they are paid from the Ministry of Local Government. Now that the property tax will be in the hands of the councils, they will make the determination whether the street light works or not ... he who pays the piper will now call the tune, and the councils will be calling the tune," he said.

Additionally, he said that issues such as housing for the indigent, parish infrastructure, minor water supplies, public markets, sanitary conveniences, parks and gardens, emergency relief, disaster management and preparedness, day care facilities, and hotel and trade licences, will now fall under the armpit of the parish councils.

"In other words, the local government authority in the parish will finally become government in the parish. Therefore, if anything of significance is happening in the parish, it has to come through the local authority," he pointed out.

According to the State Minister, the Government, over the next two years also intends to have a single road building agency and the maintenance of roads will be the responsibility of the parish councils.