After having said more than once that new assessment rates will take effect on January 1, 2014, Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said yesterday that owners should discard the notices they received from KL City Hall (DBKL).
Such remarks have legal implications and Tengku Adnan should immediately clear the air whether he was announcing that he was canceling the new Valuation List of KL holdings.
Tengku Adnan should know that Rating and Valuation matters within DBKL are governed by 1976 Local Government Act and, every procedure must be complied with.
City Hall is required by Section 141 of the Local Government Act to inform owners of the proposed new Valuation List so that owners who are aggrieved on any of the 5 grounds stated in Section 142 (1) can file their objections.
Section 142 (2) says that “All objections shall be enquired into and the persons making them shall at such enquiry be allowed an opportunity of being heard either in person or by an authorized agent”.
The issuance of the notices of revision of the Valuation List is a legal procedure that must be complied with in a revaluation exercise.
Under the Local Government Act, the Federal Territories Minister is empowered to decide whether to confirm the revised Valuation List
When Tengku Adnan asked the people to ignore the notices, was he not as good as saying that the notices were revoked and that the people do not have to make further objections?
And if notices are revoked, how can the revised Valuation List be confirmed and the new annual values come into force?