March 14, 2008 — The St. John Unity Day Group is appealing to residents for donations so it can hire an attorney to fight the recent property-tax revaluation that left many St. John residents worrying they'll lose their homes.
"It's very unfair and it's going to hurt everybody," said Linda Sorenson, a St. John property owner. "Just because our properties are overvalued, we're going to be overtaxed."
The property-tax issue, coupled with the looming recession, will put St. John on a downward spiral, she said. Sorensen is forwarding via email a letter from the Unity Day Group asking for donations to the legal fund.
The group is asking for a donation of $100 from each household on St. John to fight the revaluations, said Unity Day Group member Lorelie Monsanto. She isn't sure what form the legal challenge will take.
The group needs about $20,000 to hire an attorney, said Myrtle Barry, who chairs the Real Property Committee.
The group's letter mentions the governor's line-item vetoes of amendments that would have provided some relief to St. John property tax payers. Gov. John deJongh Jr. vetoed the portions that capped increases in the value of properties at 3 percent every five years, and allowed people who qualified for homestead exemptions, or had unimproved property, to pay what they paid on their previous tax bill for the next bill.
The matter is urgent, the group's letter to property tax payers says, because the government anticipates that on March 28 the U.S. District Court will lift an injunction against the government that prevented it from collecting taxes at the new rate. Residents had been paying property taxes on the value of their houses in 1998.
The Unity Day Group is a non-profit organization, but it does not hold 5019(c)(3) status, so contributions are not tax deductible, Barry said.
Contributions may be sent to V.I. Unity Day Group Inc., P.O. Box 371, St. John, VI 00831-0371, or dropped off for Barry at E-C Service Station across from the basketball court in Enighed.
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