AR proposes absentee landlord tax on urban land
Lawmakers have proposed the creation of an “absentee urban landlord” category that could lead to higher levies and possible acquisition of urban land for public housing. During the debate on the land bill in parliament last week, Affirmative Repositioning chief whip Vaino Hangula said this would apply to individuals and entities that keep serviced land […] The post AR proposes absentee landlord tax on urban land appeared first on The Namibian .
Lawmakers have proposed the creation of an “absentee urban landlord” category that could lead to higher levies and possible acquisition of urban land for public housing. During the debate on the land bill in parliament last week, Affirmative Repositioning chief whip Vaino Hangula said this would apply to individuals and entities that keep serviced land vacant or use property primarily for exploitative rental purposes. Hangula argued that the current bill fails to confront the realities of Namibia’s urban land crisis because it largely excludes local authority and settlement areas.
He proposed an anti-speculation framework that would impose levies or taxes on vacant and undeveloped serviced land, while introducing progressive limits on property ownership and stricter accountability for urban land held for commercial purposes. “I propose introducing a framework of levy or tax on vacant or idle serviced land and progressive property holding limits, requiring strict accounting and records of all urban land owned for capitalist purposes,” he said. Hangula said the exclusion of urban land from the bill overlooks the struggles faced daily by Namibians affected by homelessness, overcrowding, shack fires and exploitative backyard rental arrangements.
