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Originally Posted by Rocky
Some odd 7 years ago, when the government closed down all the bars in the North coast tourist towns, in an effort to control the rampant prostitution, tourist towns died and there was a mass exodus of ex-pats and the real estate prices took a big plunge.
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Since I am agnostic in some areas of government reform, please bear with me as I raise this question?
"Any chance of 'land reform' such as the one depicted in Zimbabwe recently?"
Quote from the Associated Press on June 20, 2004.
~Citing a letter by Foreign Ministry official Joe Bimha to Zimbabwe embassies abroad, the Sunday Mail reported that the government would be nationalizing only the land it had seized under its land reform program.
"The correct position is that all land acquired under the current phase of the land reform program now reposes to the state," Bimha was quoted as saying.
The report clarifies a June 8 statement by Land Reform Minister John Nkomo that title deeds to all productive land were being abolished and replaced with 99-year state-issued leases.
Nkomo's statement raised fears of massive new seizures of farms, industrial holdings, private properties and even homes.
"In the end, there shall be no such thing as private land," Nkomo had said. `
Mostly farmland, but private homes and property titles were seized and now have to pay 'rent' to the government for land that was rightfully theirs!
If the government has the control to close down private business and or property in the attempt to control what is considered 'legal' in the DR, what guarantees that this won't happen in a desparate attempt to improve the DR economy?... say, rather than tax bill reform that would otherwise be rejected?
In other words, is there any danger of the DR government acting in such a manner?
Thanks for your comments!
Susie