Ipoh City council (MBI) assessment fee hike is a double whammy to 700,000 Ipoh folks as it comes at a time where the people are tightening their belts due to the implementation of GST and imminent economic downturn.
The Ipoh council decision to increase the assessment fee by property revaluation pursuant to section 144 of Local Government Act 1976 is most unreasonable, unwarranted and untimely where some of the residential area had recorded a 900% increase come at a time where the people are tightening their belts due to the implementation of GST with effect from 1 April.
Ipoh’s assessment rate at 16.5% is the second highest in Malaysia, only less than 24.5% at Kuching, Sarawak. Furthermore, Ipoh City Council have just increased the assessment rate from 1st January this year.
The property “revaluation exercise” carried out by the Ipoh City council is a hike in assessment fee in disguise as many property owners are forced to pay unreasonable rates which range from 300% to 900%. I call on the Ipoh City council to hold a dialogue to meet the property owners in order to come to an amicable solution and a more acceptable assessment fee where the assessment fee commensurate with the services provided by the Ipoh City council.
All 24 Barisan Nasional Ipoh councilors must make their stand clear if they agree to such radical and exponential rate of increase in assessment fee which have affected some 20,000 units of houses at Ipoh Garden East, Canning, Taman Cempaka & Jalan Kuala Kangsar.
I urge Perak MB Dato Seri Zamry Abd Kadir to immediately address this issue in the state exco meeting tomorrow and intervene in the Ipoh council decision to increase the assessment fee.
I also urge all property owners who are affected by the assessment fee hike to come forward and lodge their complaints at any DAP MP or Adun’s service center in Kinta Valley before 9th July, 2015. DAP Perak will gather all the complaints from the people and write in to Ipoh Mayor Datuk Harun Rawi to protest against the unreasonable assessment fee hike.