Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has met with stakeholders including professional and women groups, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), traditional rulers and the business community in the State and sought their cooperation and collaboration on the implementation of the State’s new property tax to ensure the government continues to meet its obligation to the citizenry.

This was during a stakeholders’ workshop on the state’s new Land Use Charge Law, themed: “Joint Implementation of LUC by State and Local Governments,” held at the New Festival Hall, in Government House, Benin City.

He said the land use charge is property tax meant for property owners, which must be paid, noting: “The tax is not for poor people. Those that don’t have a property have no business with such a tax.”

The governor continued: “We want your cooperation as we have not done all the roads needed. We can only do more when we have more money. There is no double taxation in Edo. This is not double taxation on property in the State. It is not much; you can pay once.”

He further noted: “You will agree that since we came in 2016, the rate of development has increased. We have built up to 1,500km of roads in Edo State. The ones that are bad are not State roads, but Federal Government roads. If they are our roads and I have the authority, I will do them. When I want to build some roads, they say they have already given it out on contract.”

The governor stated that the citizenry can support the government in executing its mandate by paying their taxes, noting that more tax revenue would boost the government’s capacity to deliver durable infrastructure.

The Managing Director of Edo Geographic Information Service, (EdoGIS), Osaro Grace Aihie, said the Land Use Charge is a consolidation of all the land-based rates and charges payable in Edo State.

She noted that the charge is on real properties like land, building, structure, noting that the new law allows the local government areas in the State to handle tenement rates while State is in charge of property tax and ground rent.