By Ramatoulie Jawo
The National Assembly Member (NAM) for Foni Kansala, Hon. Almameh Gibba, on Monday called for the introduction of a Rental Policy in the country.
“In the President’s speech, we have not seen any rental policies. Charging rental fees in Foreign Currency is unacceptable. The Ministry of Local Government and Lands should act fast to ensure we stop this to make sure life becomes easy for every Gambian,” he said.
Hon. Gibba has expressed concern that some Gambians who own buildings in Kanifing and Kairaba Avenue are charging rent in foreign currencies, such as dollars or euros. He believes that this is unfair to Gambians who earn their income in Dalasi, and he has called on the government to take action to stop this practice.
Hon. Gibba said that the government should consider creating a Rental Policy. He said that this would generate a lot of revenue for the government. He also said that proper digitalization of buildings would help to generate even more revenue.
Hon. Gibba told the National Assembly Members (NAMs) that some rental stores in The Gambia are unaccounted for because the rental collection system is paper-based and not digitized. He said that if the system is not digitized and enhanced, it will be difficult to keep track of all the rental stores.
Hon. Gibba also said that if new policies, programs, or Acts are put in place, anyone who increases their rent fee will be charged based on how much they increased it. He said that the less you earn, the less you will pay in rent. He believes that if this happens, there will be a reduction in rental costs overall.
Hon. Gibba urged the Lands Ministry to take action more quickly to ensure that foreign currencies are not used for rent payments in The Gambia.