Delta govt to enforce action against ground rent defaulters

.Inaugurates 25-man committee
Determined to punish ground rent defaulters, the Delta State Government has taken steps to enforce action against ground rent defaulters especially those who have failed to comply with the October 31st, 2017 deadline.

In the last few months there have been hue and cry by Deltans over the ground rent laws particularly those who claimed that the ground rent was an alleged avenues for the State Government to milk them dry but the Secretary to the Committee on ground rent, Dr. Frank Nwugo who spoke to journalists yesterday in Asaba dispelled all allegations as untrue, saying that payment of ground rents have become mandatory for every land and property owner as enshrined in the land use act and State Gazette of 2002 adding “according to the law all lands in the State belong to the State

Government and so owners of lands are expected to pay ground rents”. He said that massive awareness had been created over the years particularly since 2014, emphasizing that the State Government took the steps to kick start the payment of ground rent liabilities with holders of the Certificate of Occupancy (C. Of O).

Dr. Nwugo while taking into cognizance the poor state of the economy and how it has adversely the living standard of the public, reiterated the benevolence of the State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa who had approved the waiver of all outstanding ground rent liabilities before 2011 for organizations and corporate bodies including before 2015 for individuals or private owners of land and property depending on when C of O was acquired.

He said that the constituted Tax Force will enforce compliance on land owners and advised all those affected to meet their outstanding liabilities as required by the law even as he commended the State Government on steps to ensure strict compliance.
Meanwhile the State Government has inaugurated a 25 man Tax Force on the enforcement of Ground Rent in the State. Inaugurating the Tax Force, the Chairman, Delta State Committee on Ground Rent and Commissioner for Finance, Chief David Edevbie at the weekend urged members of the Committee to see themselves as forerunners for the Government in the recovery of Ground Rent liabilities in order to improve the revenue base of the State.

He emphasized that the general success of the State, particularly in the area of provision of basic social economic amenities can only be achieved if those at the corridor of power and the governed play their part effectively saying that taxation was only one of such roles backed by law which he said Lagos State thrives on.

Edevbie further stated that the State Government good intentions not to have enforced compliance on ground rent liabilities on defaulters in the past 2 years however, was as result of the poor economy, adding that revenue was needed to drive the smart agenda of the present administration, and urge the Executive of the Task Force to discharge its mandate without fear or favour. The Task Force members include Moses Ojor as Chairman, Barrister Daniel Momah as Vice Chairman, Tony Egboko as Secretary, Fred Ero as Manager, Barr. Mekako Patrick as member, among others.

Nosa Akenzua, Asaba