The Ministry of Planning and Development has launched two additional online services as part of the DevelopTT online construction permitting platform. The new services are Stamp Duty Exemption Correspondence and Status of Land Correspondence. The additional e-services are officially online as of today, Monday 8th February 2021, and are now available to members of the public.
Since September 1st 2020, the North Regional Office (NRO) of the Ministry’s Town and Country Planning Division (TCPD) has been solely accepting online submissions for Planning Permission which fall within the T1 & T5 Planning Regions. Now, the system will also be accepting applications for both Stamp Duty Exemption Correspondence & Status of Land which fall within said T1 & T5 Planning Regions. Both services are now paperless and letters of certification will be received digitally. The addition of these services aims to further enhance the government’s goals of digitising public services and making it easier to do business in Trinidad and Tobago.
The T1 Planning Region includes the Diego Martin Regional Corporation, the Port of Spain City Corporation and portion of the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation. Meanwhile, the T5 Planning Region encompasses the Chaguanas Borough Corporation, the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation and portions of the San Juan/Laventille and Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporations.
Now, the system will also be accepting applications for both Stamp Duty Exemption Corresponence & Status of Land which fall within said T1 & T5 Planning Regions. Both services are now paperless and letters of certification will be received digitally.
Once you are a registered user of DevelopTT and have your TTBizLink passcode you can utilize the online services. If not registered, visit www.developtt.gov.tt and follow the step-by-step information to become an authorized user. Currently, there are over 1500 registered, authorized users of the system. Services now accepted online via DevelopTT are Planning Permission and Unauthorised Development Complaints. DevelopTT was launched in June 2018 as part of the Transformation Project, Automation of the Construction Permitting System (ACPS). On Wednesday March 4th 2020, a pilot of the system was officially initiated in the T1 Planning Region before being expanded to include the T5 Planning Region.
Stamp Duty is a tax that must be paid when carrying out certain transactions that require legal documents. Deeds of Conveyance, Deeds of Gift, Deeds of Mortgage, Release of Mortgage Loan, Release of Life Insurance Policies, Transfer of Shares, Deeds of Lease, Deed Polls, Bonds, and any other deeds, require “stamping” which means users must pay duty.
The public is required to pay Stamp Duty tax to the Inland Revenue Division when buying real estate or a home, seeking a mortgage, or conducting other financial transactions. Stamp Duty Tax Exemption can be requested from the Inland Revenue Division when buying, selling or disposing of residential properties.
When requesting this exemption, a Status of Land Correspondence is required from the Town and Country Planning Division. The status correspondence will detail:
- Whether there are any Town and Country Planning Division approvals on or related to the site;
- The purpose for which the land can be used;
- Whether the parcel is bonafide (i.e. a legal entity previously created by a subdivision approval or in existence prior to the Town and Country Planning Act);
The following documents must be uploaded/submitted with applications:
- Deed or Certificate of Title.
- Cadastral Sheet/ Survey Plan for the site in question.
The ongoing work of transforming Town and Country Planning Division (TCPD) via Digitization and Service Delivery Projects are complementary to the DevelopTT e-service. These projects assist by improving transparency, timeliness and accuracy in spatial development decision making. DevelopTT is “transforming the Construction Permitting process.”
