The People's Assembly discusses the draft law that includes the creation of the General Authority for Real Estate Development and Investment

Damascus-Sana

The People's Assembly, in its twenty-seventh session of the second regular session of the third legislative session, held under the chairmanship of Hammouda Sabbagh, Speaker of the Assembly, began discussing the draft law containing the creation of the General Authority for Real Estate Development and Investment to replace the newly created body according to Law No. 15 of 2008.

According to the articles of the project, the aforementioned commission aims to regulate real estate development activities, participate in the implementation of urban development policies and regional planning directions, encourage and attract local, Arab and foreign investments to contribute to the construction and reconstruction process through real estate development projects and provide and prepare the lands necessary for the establishment of integrated cities and suburbs, secure their services and facilities, and establish housing and buildings. It shall provide the housing needs of people with limited income on easy terms.

The authority also aims to address random housing areas according to the concept of sustainable urban development to provide an integrated residential environment equipped with the basic elements of the urban community and link it to the developmental, economic and environmental social dimension, secure its services, rebuild or rehabilitate existing residential areas, and establish special non-tourist service areas.

In order to achieve its objectives, the authority referred to according to the articles undertakes a number of tasks, including preparing general plans for real estate development and investment, contributing to their implementation within the framework of the state's general plans in coordination with the relevant authorities, granting licenses to real estate development companies, granting the status of a real estate developer, proposing the creation of real estate development areas and proposing draft agreements. Memoranda of understanding with states, local, regional and international organizations and bodies related to the authority’s field of work, in coordination with the concerned authorities.

At the beginning of the session, the Minister of State for People's Assembly Affairs, Eng. Maloul Al-Hussein, gave a presentation on the measures approved by the Council of Ministers in its previous session, while some members of the Council called for the application of the principle of complete transparency with citizens regarding service and living issues, reducing the hours of electric rationing, and clarifying the mechanism followed in monitoring Markets and curb the rise in prices of goods and consumables.

The Council also referred the new draft law on real estate sales tax, which the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee considered permissible to consider for not contradicting the provisions of the constitution, to a joint committee that includes the Financial Laws and Constitutional and Legislative Affairs committees to discuss it and prepare the necessary report on it.

The session, which was attended by the Minister of Public Works and Housing, Eng. Suhail Abdul Latif, rose to 11 am tomorrow, Thursday.

Wasim Al-Adawi and Firas Safi