The Edo State Government has moved to enforce the Land Use Charge law. The state’s Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development Francis Evbuomwan disclosed on Tuesday that the state has secured a court order to seize the properties of 60 defaulters of the Land Use Charge law until they meet their obligations regarding their properties.

The law came into effect in the state in 2012 but it was not until recently that the State Government began its strict enforcement.

The commissioner said: “The Edo State Government through its agency, the Board of Internal Revenue, has successfully got a court order enforcing the Land Use Charge against 60 properties.

“This is just the first tranche of court orders and more are still in the pipeline. In the coming days, we will be publishing the full list of 60 defaulters of the Land Use Charge with the addresses of the properties that the court has given Edo State Government the power and the rights to distrait those properties until they recover the Land Use Charge dues.

“Edo State Government will now take full advantage of the court order to place these properties under distrainment until all the outstanding land use charge fees are redeemed.

“Let me continue to encourage our people not to wait for this before they step forward and redeem their land use charges. It is obvious that it is a lawful tax backed by both state and federal government laws and now, the court has been able to give us judgment against properties that are in default.”

The commissioner warned that government will clamp down on any landlord who uses the Land Use Law as an excuse to arbitrarily raise house rent.

It is unclear whether this verbal reassurance will calm the fears of tenants in the state and whether it would deter landlords from looking for ways to meet up with the Land Use law by peppering their tenants with higher house rent demands.

With unemployment still widespread in Edo State, issues of increased taxation in any area of business is feared to be a move that carry bleak tidings.

•Photo shows Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.

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