KOTA PADAWAN: The Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) has no issues with collecting assessment rates from taxpayers.
MPP chairman Tan Kai stressed that the MPP stands out as one of the top-performing local councils in Sarawak when it comes to efficiently collecting assessment rates.
“We have several efforts for the rate collection and one of them is land ownership transfer within the Land and Survey Department.
“If one somehow did not manage to pay the assessment rate, then the land ownership transfer cannot be done.”
He said this during a press conference, responding to the allegation of RM1.5mil allocation from the state government by Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen and his special assistant Michael Kong Feng Nian, at the MPP office here on Friday (March 15).
Earlier, Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Integrity and Ombudsman), Datuk Dr Juanda Jaya revealed that a local council has been found to have accumulated an uncollected amount of RM38mil in overdue debts from taxpayers.
He further stated that the amount was accumulated over a period of more than 20 years, and had briefed the matter to Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg during a courtesy call by Cabinet Special Committee on Financial Statements and Annual Budget Estimates for Sarawak Statutory Bodies and Local Authorities (Capcom) at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here.
“The Premier suggested that agencies involved in the collection of overdue debts like this to create a better regulatory system, inform creditors to pay debts and, if necessary, take legal action,” he said this recently.
