Affordable home owners in Kuala Lumpur get 25% discount on assessment, Sarawak eyes zero ‘sick’ projects by end-2023 and more
20th June – 26th June
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that almost 26,000 owners of affordable homes within the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur will enjoy a 25% discount on their property assessment tax.
Meanwhile, the state government of Sarawak targets to have zero “sick” or critically delayed government projects by the end of 2023, on the back of its move to appoint rescue contractors.
1. Affordable home owners in Kuala Lumpur get a 25% discount on assessment
Almost 26,000 owners of affordable homes within the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur will enjoy a 25% discount on their property assessment tax, announced Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The discount, which will be given from the second half of 2023, will benefit homeowners under the Perumahan Penjawat Awam Malaysia (PPAM), PR1MA, Rumah Mampu Milik Wilayah Persekutuan (Rumawip) and Regional Residency housing in Kuala Lumpur, reported The Malaysian Reserve.
“This assessment tax reduction will benefit 25,677 affordable house owners, which involves a reduction in tax revenue of RM2.07 million per year,” said Anwar.
He noted that the reduction in the residential assessment tax for affordable homes will help reduce the burden of living costs for the middle 40% (M40) income group and the bottom 40% (B40) income group in Kuala Lumpur.
2. Sarawak eyes zero ‘sick’ projects by end-2023
The state government of Sarawak targets to have zero “sick” or critically delayed government projects by the end of 2023, on the back of its move to appoint rescue contractors.
With the appointment of rescue contractors, some of the “sick” government projects within the state are now ahead of their initial completion schedule, said Sarawak Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development (Infrastructure Development), Aidel Lariwoo.
“One of the main reasons Sarawak has had many sick projects before is due to movement controls caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, with problems such as lack of foreign labour and an increase in prices of construction materials such as sand,” said the minister as quoted by Bernama.
Aidel said the hike in sand prices was caused by an increase in the price of diesel, which is needed in operating sand dredgers and barges.
He added that the Marudi Bridge project in Miri was among the projects that were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully restored by the rescue contractors.
Notably, the bridge project is set to be completed in 2025.
3. Works on Penang South Islands reclamation project to start on 1 July
Gamuda is set to start the reclamation work for the Penang South Islands (PSI) reclamation project – a new urban development located off the coast of Penang Island, featuring homes, leisure and work sites – on 1 July.
Although the original plan was to develop the three islands, A, B and C, the project has been scaled down to just island A, which is located near Penang International Airport at Bayan Lepas.
Despite the downsizing of the project, Gamuda still expects the RM3.72 billion reclamation work for Phase 1 of the project to contribute positively to the group’s revenue and earnings for the financial year ending 31 July 2024, reported the New Straits Times.
The decision to scale down the project came after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the allocation of additional funds to assist with the construction of the George Town-Bayan Lepas light rail transit project.
Gamuda said the reclamation work is set to be completed on 30 June 2030.
4. Ampang Jaya homeowners have until December 2024 to legalise past renovations
Homeowners in Ampang Jaya, Selangor have until December 2024 to obtain permits for any alteration or renovation made to their houses.
Ampang Jaya Municipal Council’s (MPAJ) home renovation legalising programme aims to help homeowners secure retrospective approval for modifications made within their property boundary as well as reduce land encroachment and illegal extensions, reported The Star.
“The programme will help homeowners obtain their certificate of completion (CCC) as well as ease the buying and selling process, insurance claims and others,” said MPAJ Buildings and Architecture Department Director Ahmad Alhairi Mohamed Yusuf.
However, the programme is only open to landed property owners and is subject to the council’s building regulations and guidelines.
Moreover, it will only apply to old renovations and not new ones.
“We will review applications on the condition that the property owners have not exceeded their property boundaries with any construction,” said Ahmad Alhairi, noting that applications must also come with their neighbours’ written consent.
5. Airbnb proposes ‘three strikes law’
Airbnb has proposed a “three strikes law” wherein an individual’s registration as a host would be revoked once noise and nuisance occurred three times.
“Here, if a host has reports of an act of noise or nuisance occurring three times, they will be put on an exclusion register where they will not be allowed to host anymore,” said Mich Goh, Public Policy Head for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan at Airbnb.
The suggestion comes after the hotel industry urged the government to regulate short-term rental accommodations.
Airbnb also suggested a compensation model that would benefit strata residence neighbours who were affected by misbehaving guests, reported The Star.
Goh said the compensation would be on top of fines against errant guests.
She revealed that the proposals have been sent to various government agencies, such as Plan Malaysia, and that they have been engaging with them since several years ago.
On disruptive guests, Goh said Airbnb has a hotline where guests could report misbehaving guests.
6. DBKL, Think City eyes to make KL a more liveable, resilient, sustainable city
Think City and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) entered into their third Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to transform Kuala Lumpur into a more liveable, resilient and sustainable city.
The MoU saw the launch of the Creative KL Urban Challenge and Creative KL Grants Programme, which are in line with the Kuala Lumpur Creative and Cultural District Strategic Master Plan (KLCCD) that was introduced in 2019, reported the New Straits Times.
Creative KL Urban Challenge aims to gather residents, creative practitioners, universities, professionals, designers, innovators, hackers, urban planners and experts, as well as programmers and developers, to collaborate and create urban solutions targeted at enhancing Downtown KL and the residents’ lives.
“The RM15 million allocated under Budget 2023 will further catalyse the rejuvenation and revitalisation of Downtown KL and its adjacent significant areas, and help address some of the pertinent issues in making the city centre sustainable and liveable,” said Hamdan Abdul Majeed, Think City’s Managing Director.
He expects the measures to generate 200 events that would energise the city centre as well as over 1,300 job opportunities.
