Prime Minister, the Hon. Philip Davis distributed land conveyance certificates to twenty four residents of the Fox Hill community at a ceremony on Tuesday.

During his remarks Mr. Davis said, “we are saying to Bahamians everywhere your struggle with unclear title, with missing records, with endless disputes, this struggle must end. We are creating a fair system where land rights disputes are resolved, where records are properly kept, where families are not left in limbo.”

Among those receiving land titles were Melcus Armbrister and Carlos Lamm. Armbrister shared his joy with reporters. Lamm also shared his excitement and recounted being involved in an altercation regarding the property.

Member of Parliament for Fox Hill, the Hon. Fred Mitchell was also in attendance at the ceremony. He explained to recipients the importance of ensuring that their documents are recorded. “The conveyance has to be registered or recorded. In order for it to be registered or recorded it has to be stamped which means there’s a tax which is applicable to the transfer of the land. The Prime Minister as Minister of Finance has indicated that the stamp tax, VAT as its now called, will only be a nominal amount.”

The government has taken on land reform as part of his agenda this term. The Registered Land Bill and the Land Adjudication Bill were passed in Parliament for the summer recess.