Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Oct 19, 2025

Gov’t should facilitate first-time land owners to build their homes

Gov’t should facilitate first-time land owners to build their homes

Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly (HoA) Neville ‘Sheep’ Smith said the government should help first-time Belonger landowners with the construction of homes.
Smith was giving his contribution to the motion moved by Premier Andrew Fahie to amend the Stamp Duty Tax Act in the HoA earlier today.

The Deputy Speaker said while the government is already assisting Belongers to purchase land with its four per cent tax waiver, some persons still cannot build on the land for several reasons.

“One of the things when it comes to government land — once people acquire government land — is that some sort of road infrastructure or water and power needs to be put in place that these people can have access to do these things,” Smith said.

“Maybe there could be a way you could charge it in the land tax so we could get it bit by bit. We don’t have to get it all. Because sometimes when a young person is going to build a house and they are alone in that area, a transformer alone, they can’t afford to pay for a transformer,” the Deputy Speaker added.

Smith, who is also a Territorial At-large representative, said there are many young persons who use their money to purchase land and because of poor public infrastructure, they are unable to reach that land.

“They can’t get power to that land; they can’t get water to that land. That in itself puts them in a predicament where they have to sit down and wait and then you know what might happen? They might lose that same piece of land because they can’t get to build on it,” he reiterated.

“So, we have to find ways that we could enhance that because if we are saying we are going to give them the land, we have to give them the opportunity to build on that land,” Smith continued.

Although the Deputy Speaker said he still supports the motion, he noted there is a lot more the government can do and a lot more they will do to help BVI citizens.

“As I say, little by little a bird builds its nest and I think the government is moving in the right direction in finding ways to help our people and keeping the land to Belongers and our young people. Because if you don’t own the land, you don’t own the island,” Smith said.

During the height of the pandemic, the government had issued a four per cent stamp duty waiver for Belongers who purchased new property or land which expired on December 31.

Fahie said the stamp duty waiver has been modified to just Belongers who are using the bank to purchase homes and/or land for the first time or Belongers embarking on home construction purchases for the first time.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
×