The Nigeria Senate intends to introduce a bill to tax unoccupied and outrageously expensive buildings in the Federal Capital City.
The Chairman Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, Senator Adeyemi Smart lamented that there were too many unoccupied buildings in the city despite being completed and built to taste.
A check by Investors King shows that thousands of expensive houses are left unoccupied in Abuja, especially in high-net-worth neighbourhoods such as Guzape and Katampe Extension (Diplomatic Zone).
Smart Adeyemi made it known at a press briefing with members of the committee that the Senate will introduce a property tax bill on such buildings to mitigate the issue of accommodation in the capital city which has been a critical burden on average citizens.
He said, “We have found that in this city, many houses are without habitation. There are a lot of mansions with no one living in them and no one is asking questions.
He added that the government will lock any uninhabited building and cause the owner to pay a fee to the government.
“If you have built houses and they are unoccupied, we’d find out the reasons and tell the government to lock them up so that criminals will not take charge.
We’d propel legislation that will cause them to start paying taxes so that we’d use the money to develop the city”. He said.
The Senator also questioned why expensive buildings will be left unoccupied for years if the funds are from legitimate sources.
It will be recalled that the ICPC Chairman Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, warned estate developers against serving as conduits for Illicit Financial Flows, (IFFS) at the commission’s 13th Annual General Meeting, AGM held in July 2022.
The ICPC Chairman further stated that the commission is currently probing completed and unoccupied estates in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt, with the help of sister agencies.
