The Zambia Institute of Valuation Surveyors has […]

The Zambia Institute of Valuation Surveyors has called for the revision of the Rating Act to allow the council to conduct mass appraisals in a bid to capture most properties.

Mass appraisal is the process of valuing large groups of properties as of a specific date using standardized methods, common data, and statistical testing, typically for property tax assessment. It employs tools like computer-assisted mass appraisal.

Speaking in an interview with the Zambian Business Times (ZBT), ZIVS President Christopher Mulenga observed that the Act does not allow for mass appraisal, hence the gaps in collections of rates.

“Currently the Act does not allow for mass evaluation appraisals, which allow for capturing a lot of properties in a given time frame. Currently it’s only the local authorities that update the valuation role every five years, and each year there are properties that are not captured because of the cut-off date,” he added.

He observed that some of the properties that are unmarked can generate huge revenue and, therefore, there is a need to review and act with immediacy. “In terms of the revenue leakages that the authorities might be experiencing, for instance, if Lusaka is supposed to capture 20,000 properties in a particular valuation role, you find that they are only capturing 15,000.”

Article by Samuel Mutale