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LAGOS: NBA stages walkout at public hearing on controversial Land Use Charge

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LAGOS: NBA stages walkout at public hearing on controversial Land Use Charge

The public hearing on the proposed amendment to the 2018 Land Use Charge Law held on Tuesday at the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The Land Use Charge recently introduced by the state government generated a lot of uproar after a few weeks ago, the government began distributing demand notices in line with the 2018 version of the Land Use Charge.

Many members of the public and residents were surprised at the new Land Use Charge tariffs, and stakeholders took the government to task, for being insensitive at a time the economy was biting hard on Nigerians.

In response, the Lagos State Government proposed a number of amendments to the law including tariff cuts across board.

These however still did not go down well with residents who complained about the high increment.

It is these amendments among others that are now being considered by the parliament.

The Lateef Jakande Auditorium of the Lagos State House of Assembly was therefore understandably full to capacity as all of its segments including its gallery were crowded with Lagosians from different walks of life.

The Ikeja Branch of the NBA, however, had sought a postponement of the Public Hearing. In the view of the Chairman of the Branch, Mr. Ogunlana Adesina, because copies of the law and the proposed amendments had not been made widely available to the public prior to the hearing, the hearing ought to have been postponed in order for this to be done.

In over-ruling this request, however, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Honourable Mudashiru Obasa stated, that the issues being discussed are not particularly new, having been in the public domain for several weeks.

He added that of the 37 sections of the Land Use Charge Law, only 8 were actually billed for amendment. He concluded that the issues, therefore, were not particularly new as to warrant further delays or postponement he said.

Upon this pronouncement by the Speaker, members of the Ikeja branch of the NBA staged a walk-out. Members of the NBA, who had attended the event dressed in red or white T-shirts, walked out of the hall.

After a slight disruption caused by the walkout, the proceedings continued, albeit amid murmurs and quiet complains from other members of the public present.

Public representation included other groups such as the Organized Private Sector, the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, different resident associations including Magodo, the Lekki Corridor, Apapa, Festac, Ikorodu etc, Estate Agents’ Association, Private medical practitioners association, hoteliers, among others.

Some of the key issues discussed revolved around the Assembly’s intention to replace the phrase “market value” of property, with “value.” Several commentators were worried that this may leave the term vague and made different suggestions as to how to get around this issue. Estate surveyors suggested that discounted market value may be the way to go.

Read also: KENYA: 8 newspaper columnists resign en mass

Many respondents called for moderation in the tax regime in order to enable Lagosians pay conveniently.

The Commissioner of Finance, Mr. Akinyemi Ashade announced that the Executive had proposed a general relief rate of 50%, up from the 40% of old. He added that other reliefs included the charge rate for commercial properties which had been reduced to 0.45% (from 0.76%) while industrial charge rate had also been reduced to 0.230%.

Speakers at the Public Hearing also raised the issue of “pensioner,” adding that any pensioner regardless of whether he worked at a pensionable office before retirement ought to benefit from the reliefs in the land use charge law.

The Speaker sought additional memoranda, adding that members of the public were encouraged to submit memoranda to the committee for consideration over the next two weeks.

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