Property Rating in Western Nigeria1
| Published date | 01 January 1961 |
| Date | 01 January 1961 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1961.tb01255.x |
| Author | G. Orewa |
Property
Rating in
Western
Nigeria
I
by G.
OREWA,
Administrative
Officer,
Western
Region,
Nigeria
Area X
9/-
per
square
foot (of floor area).
Capital
value
of
standard
room
of
120
sq.ft.
£
54
Stick
and
mud
walls with
thatched
roof, unplastered or
with sand.
Class
and
structure
of
building
A.
As LOCAL authorities assume more responsibilities
and
their need for revenue
increases,
the
necessity to
tap
sources
other
than
direct taxation becomes
apparent.
Property
rating
is one such source.
Until
the
land
tenure system in Western Nigeria is comprehensively codified,
it will be difficult to discuss
rating
of
property
other
than
buildings.
At present only two towns in Western Nigeria
have
introduced
property
rating
in their areas
and
it
may
be useful to
make
a
start
by discussing briefly
the
system in one
of
them
-Sapele, which
adopted
the
system five years before
the other, Warri.
Under
the provisions
of
Sections
III
and
112
of the Western Region Local
Government
Law,
1952,
Sapele introduced
property
rating in
1952,
chiefly as
ameans
of
raising revenue to implement a new town
planning
scheme for
that
town. After taking
account
of the various building structures in existence,
the
following
method
of valuation was adopted, based on a three-fold classification-
Capital
value
of
rooms
larger
than
standard
rooms
(according
to
area)
B. Class A plastered
with
cement
and
with
iron
sheet roofing or
sun-dry
block
walls
with
thatched
or iron roofing.
80
Area
X13/4d.
per
square
foot (of floor
area).
Area
X
£1
per
square
foot (of floor area).
120
C.
Cement
block or
iron
sheet
walls with asbestos or
iron
sheet roofing.
The
rateable
value
per
annum
is
10
per
cent.
of
the
above
capital
value.
On
the basis
of
the rateable value, rates
at
6d. in the £
and
at
11-
in the £
are
imposed on residential,
and
on commercial
and
industrial buildings respectively,
irrespective
of
their sites.
Government
buildings (except those hired by
private
persons) as well as buildings used exclusively for religious, educational
and
charitable
purposes
are
exempted from rates.
Valuation
of
all new buildings goes on
throughout
the year. No building is
re-valued unless there is some
alteration
to it, or
the
owner successfully objects
to the original valuation. Buildings completely destroyed by fire or otherwise
are
removed immediately from
the
rate
register.
1Published with acknowledgement to the Nigerian Institute of Social
and
Economic
Research -Conference proceedings, December 1958.
29
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