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The Cyprus Scientific & Technical Chamber (ETEK) has demanded that the Land Registry publish the criteria it has used to determine immovable property values for taxation purposes, explaining that it would allow citizens to better understand the appraisal method, thus reducing objections to the relevant tax. 

The local media reports the Chamber’s Chairman, Stelios Achniotis, as arguing that the state is obliged to provide transparency to the public and that all data used by the Land Registry in reappraising immovable property, adjusting them to 2013 prices, should be made public. 

“It is a fundamental right of citizens, and a fundamental obligation by the state,” he said. 

“We cannot fathom an appraisal methodology based on specific criteria and hard data that is selectively available.” 

In an earlier statement, the Chamber said that such disclosure would facilitate the application of immovable property tax (IPT) as it would allow citizens to be better informed and understand the appraisal method. “Educating the public will directly result in fewer objections to the bare minimum, which will in turn help the Land Registry deal with objections more effectively,” ETEK said.