Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has announced the creation of a centralized data management system designed to integrate land records with the General Department of Taxation. The initiative aims to resolve systemic delays in land title processing, a process previously criticized by organizations like the World Bank and Human Rights Watch for its inefficiency and reliance on outdated, fragmented provincial systems.
Speaking in Kandal province on July 29, the Prime Minister stated that while nearly 14 million land plots have been registered, only 10 million titles have been issued. The government has set a target to complete all boundary demarcation, registration, and title distribution by the end of 2027.
To facilitate this, the government is introducing several tax and administrative reforms. These include a 100% penalty exemption on delayed stamp-duty payments for certain court-ordered documents through 2027, and a policy allowing final owners to pay tax only once for successive land transfers made between 2017 and July 2026. Furthermore, the Ministry of Land Management is working with the National Bank of Cambodia to help citizens access ownership documents currently held as loan collateral by financial institutions.
Mar Sophal, program manager at The NGO Forum, welcomed the reforms, noting that they reduce financial burdens on smallholder farmers and encourage transparent transfers. However, he cautioned that significant challenges remain, particularly regarding unregistered land that overlaps with protected areas or economic concessions. He also highlighted that vulnerable groups, including Indigenous communities, continue to face complex, multi-ministry procedures that hinder the acquisition of collective land titles.
Source: CamboJA News
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