Hawlwadaag District Commissioner Imposes “Illegal Property Tax” on Residents

[Deeq A.]

Mogadishu (PP News Desk) — Residents of Hawlwadaag districts have accused Mustaf Cali Kheyre, District Commissioner of Hawlwadaag of introducing an annual illegal property tax.

Kheyre sent notifications to families to pay the property tax or face harassment by the police at local neighbourhood centres of the district. Notification slips seen by Puntland Post divide types of houses into four. A family living in a concrete building will have to pay US$ 70. Mogadishu Municipality is unaware of the reintroduction of the property tax regime it had discontinued.

Mustaf Cali Kheyre is allegedly collecting property tax in Hawlwadaag to finance his ambition to become a Parliamentarian

“Mogadishu district commissioners are appointed on clan power-sharing basis. Each district commissioner runs the district like a dominion” said Adan Abdi, a Hawlwadaag resident.

Kheyre is allegedly collecting the underhanded property tax to finance his ambition to become a parliamentarian. “There is no public finance accountability at Mogadishu districts” added Aden .

In 2020 The Mayor of Mogadishu Omar Mohamud put moratorium on property tax due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The moratorium still remains in place.

“Mustaf Cali Kheyre is robbing us of our money by using police-turned-militias as enforcers against people who question the legality of the property tax” said a Somali mother in Hawlwadaag.

© Puntland Post, 2021

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