Ministry told to issue title deeds digitally

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday urged the ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlement Development to introduce digital operation system for offering land tittle deeds alongside with the taxpayer identification number (TIN).

The ministry has been also instructed to provide new tittle deeds to land owners under the new system.

The committee made the comments after discovering from the 2011/12 CAG report that the ministry, which aimed at collecting at least Sh99 billion, managed to collect only Sh20 billion, equivalent to 21 per cent of the projected amount.

The committee chairman, Mr Zitto Kabwe (pictured), told reporters that the CAG report also indicate that there was confusion on allocating plots to wananchi and that at least 7,342 plots had controversy.

He added that other 160 plots in Dar es Salaam, which worth Sh55.8 million were provided to land officers. He said there were no documents to show payments or transaction that involved wananchi in buying such plots.

Mr Kabwe said the ministry decided to increase land tax after it failed to collect Sh99 billion from its normal sources.

He said: “the ministry decided to increase land tax, which becomes a burden to low income wananchi,” he said.

He added that with the electronic system, the ministry will be able to keep its record and that the committee and CAG will also be able to trace the record easily.

Mr Zitto who doubles as Kigoma North MP (Chadema) said the committee was expecting a challenge from those who own acres of land.

“We are aware that those who own thousand acres of land will oppose the new system because it will force them to pay more and there will no loophole for them to escape,” said Mr Kabwe.
Source: The Citizen, reported by Abela Msikula from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
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