In order to improve ease of doing business and eradicate multiple taxations, the Ogun State Government said it is proposing a bill to streamline revenue collection processes.
Mr. Seyi Ogunseye, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Revenue Assurance, dropped this hint while addressing information officers of the State Ministry of Information and Strategy at the Press Center, Governor’s Office, Abeokuta.
The proposed bill, which is still at the preliminary stage would be forwarded to the State House of Assembly for passage and eventual assent of the Governor.
Speaking on the Ogun State Land Administration and Revenue Management Systems, (OLARMS), he revealed that no fewer than 4,000 applicants have subscribed to the platform barely two months after its inauguration.
The Senior Special Adviser maintained that the OLARMS’ portal has helped to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks in land purchase, engender transparency and accountability in land management and rebuild public trust in the process of land purchase and title documentation, as well as provide the convenience in all land related transactions.
Mr Ogunseya pointed out, “the State Government is looking at opportunities in the State regarding land and its administration. We discovered, among other things, that the process of issuance of C of O is too long, process of land management is not good enough. It was difficult buying land in Ogun State, so we put heads together to make sure we take advantage of our biggest asset which is land that established OLARMS”.
While speaking on the Land Use and Amenities Charge of the State government, Ogunseye noted that the Land Use Rate of a property on a particular land is calculated based on the formula that is in the Land Use and Amenities Charge Law, which categories the kind of property on the land.
“When we came, we enumerated houses across the State, both commercial, industrial and residential houses. So, we moved from 14 thousand to 600 thousand houses in one year and we know we still need to enumerate almost a million across the State, so that we can have the property database.
“The formula is in the law in terms of how to calculate tenement and Land Use and Amenities rates. They measure your house and have noted the kind of infrastructure you have on the land, whether it is for religious, commercial, or residential purpose. Based on those calculations, you will get a bill that shows your access value from the Bureau of Lands, which goes into that formula, so if you have a commercial house and a residential house, the rate would be harmonised”, he said.
