RM50,000 'social contribution fee', Why?The Selangor government imposes a "social contribution fee" on housing developers.
Real Estate and Developers Association of Malaysia president Ng Seing Liong described the RM50,000 fee per 0.4ha for projects in town areas as unfair.
"It is such a hefty sum. On top of that, developers are already required to pay a 15 per cent conversion fee," said Ng.
He said the victims of the move would be small- and medium-sized developers as they were the ones who normally undertook projects less than four hectares.
"Instead, big projects developed by the major developers are exempted. The ones who can afford it don’t pay while the ones who can’t have to."
Ng claimed some projects had been delayed as developers refused to pay the fee.
"We expect Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to bring more good news to the property and construction industry," said Ng. However, Ng's hope will have to wait for the next 35 years and the government is adament about the imposition of the fees.
Khir Toyo's sidekick, Selangor Housing and Squatters Committee chairman Datuk Mokhtar Dahalan said the decision to impose the fee had been thoroughly studied.
"The money collected will be used to build parks and other public facilities."
Mokhtar said the ruling would not be withdrawn despite protests from developers.
Mokhtar Dahalan claimed the money would be used to build parks, schools and other public facilities for which funds were already allocated by the Federal government. Despite so, the State feels it is better to have more, because more is better than less.
October 9, 2004, NST reports:Unnecessary double-measures a heavy burden to property developers.
New regulations and requirements slapped by Selangor’s authorities are costly, duplicative and bureaucratic, as builders already face enough Federal legislation, the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association (REHDA) said.
“Malaysia’s housing industry is already one of the most regulated in the world,” said Datuk Jeffrey Ng Tiong Lip.
Recently, the Selangor Government imposed new requirement to all developers requiring them to register with Lembaga Perumahan dan Hartanah Selangor (LPHS) and pay a registration fee of 0.1% of their gross development value. Developers are already registered with the Ministry of Housing and Local Govt and an additional layer is unnecessary. The new requirements also include regulations on Bumiputra lots to be predetermine by LPHS on the developer’s layout and building plans while another ruling requires the developers to deposit 40% of the overall development cost of a project in a bank before approval is given for land conversion.
Predetermining bumiputra lots is contradictory to the Federal Govt’s policy to widen the market and make housing products more marketable.
Is that all? No....no time to post all.
8 comments:
As usual, all fees are so arbitrary.
Every move is so contrary to free market development and conducive investment.
The fee is supposedly collected to build parks. At the same time the authorities are taking away parks that have been in existence for tens of years and giving approval for dubious development. We don't really need to collect money for more parks, Just stop raping the green reserves and the existing playing fields!
Build parks, schools. Whose parks? Whose schools? More like looting left right, front back, inside out. How long more can bolehland withstand?
15th March, London: Press conference with Anwar Ibrahim and Simon Zadek
The new challenges of Accountability
“Freedom is not the absence of accountability”
Nearly a year has passed since Anwar Ibrahim, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, was appointed Honorary President of AccountAbility- a role which has grown out of a natural meeting of minds. On 15th March Anwar visited AccountAbility’s London office and impressed on journalists his conviction of the necessity of accountability against corruption and political oppression- a position firmly rooted in his personal experience and demonstrated by his own commitment.
As Finance Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim tried to change economics in his country and promote anti-corruption laws. Yet, while he sits quiet and combative explaining his point of view, he does not mention his six years in jail for his attempt to tackle corruption in his country. "In Malaysia corruption is endemic" – he says - "still the Western powers prefer to forget this as they content themselves with combating terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism, not caring about the lack of freedom in the press or about corruption”.
Take the British government for example. “It has compromised itself taking the decision to halt a major corruption investigation into BAE, Britain's biggest arms company, in its dealings with Saudi Arabia”. As president of AccountAbility, Anwar submitted a letter to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development that was scathing of the government decision.
"What better reference point and benchmark for corrupt politicians and business people alike around the world than to be able to speak of the case of 'Britain's national interests' in justifying cronyism, nepotism or straight-forward, arms-length bribery," he said.
Indeed Malaysia in particular needs politicians who protect the country and not their cronies. “We need more transparent rules; we need to become less tolerant of corruption and more vibrant in economic politics. We need to impose accountability”. A view strongly shared by Simon Zadek. “I welcome the Honorary President of AccountAbility, a man really involved in the ongoing progress of accountability”.
After his release in 2004, Anwar Ibrahim has become the spokesman of the necessity of anti-corruption laws and accountability. His meeting with Simon Zadek has crowned and confirmed his engagement.
Malaysia’s Anwar seeks return to power
By Tom Burgis in London
Published: March 15 2007 11:52 | Last updated: March 15 2007 15:31
Anwar Ibrahim, the former golden boy of Malaysian politics, said on Thursday he hopes to stand for prime minister in elections that could be held by the end of this year.
The former deputy prime minister spent five years in prison convicted of sodomy and corruption after accusing his government colleagues of graft.
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In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Anwar said he would stand in May for the presidency of the opposition Keadilan party, a post currently held by his wife. He said he would seek the premiership in elections late this year or early next, provided he wins the backing of his party’s allies.
Either ambition could put him in violation of a ban on holding political office that lasts until April 2008. The ban was imposed automatically after a corruption conviction that resulted from a widely criticised trial shortly after he was fired as deputy prime minister in 1998 by Mahathir Mohamad, then premier and his erstwhile mentor.
Abdullah Badawi, Mr Mahathir’s successor as prime minister, could lift Mr Anwar’s ban but Mr Anwar said he would challenge the ban in the courts were it not lifted. “I don’t have a choice,” Mr Anwar said during a visit to London. “Either I opt out and stay overseas or return to Malaysia and work with my friends...I hope not to return to jail but it is a risk I have to take.”
Mr Anwar, 59, ruled out a return to the ruling Umno party, describing it as “corrupt to the core”. Currently an adviser to the World Bank, he hopes to bolster Keadilan’s flagging fortunes with a platform of economic growth, institutional reform and tackling graft.
However, Tamara Lynch, research analyst at Chatham House, a London think-tank, said Mr Anwar’s moment may have passed. ”His supporters saw him as a Nelson Mandela of Malaysia who would come to power and change everything. But now not that much needs to change.”
For a man who adhered to the Washington Consensus of fiscal austerity as finance minister during the Asian financial crisis, Mr Anwar has travelled a long way. If elected, he said he would use the soaring profits of Petronas, the state oil company, to fund a rural education drive and other soc
Separately, Mr Anwar also revealed he had written to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s anti-bribery committee in his role as president of the British-based AccountAbility think-tank. His letter denounced the British government’s much-criticised role in the cancellation of the Serious Fraud Office’s investigation into alleged corruption in arms deals between BAE and Saudi Arabia.
Yep, a lot of legalized looting allowed in Malaysia. Semuanya OK!
Sounds like robing frenzy to all level, the state government want to get a share before the municipal councils.
WTF, isn't the whole housing things is under MCA OKT jurisdiction? Hahahaha, too bad the MCA controlled paper will not tell those old people that vote MCA (including Malays) OKT allow this daylight robbery.
This RM50,000 'social contribution fee' per 0.4 hectare will be passed on to the consumers because the developers will just raise the price of the houses. It seems housing developers today not only have to face extortions from triads but also from state govts
money to build parks? for who? or more money to build nice bungalows for you guys. remember shah alam, ampang jaya. what's next?
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