No Hike In Muar Rates, Fees

New Straits Times, July 15, 2008
By Chong Chee Seong

GOOD news for those who are staying within the jurisdiction of the Muar Municipal Council.

There will be no increase in house assessment rates and licence fees next year. Its president, Abdul Wahab Ridwan, said the council launched an immediate austerity drive following recent fuel hike by slashing about RM100,000 allocations earmarked for town's landscaping projects this year. He said the council had further cut down landscaping projects by RM200,000 (from RM500,000 to RM300,000) in its 2009 budget approved at its full-council meeting in May.

Abdul Wahab said, however, other cost-cutting measures were under strict scrutiny and all expenditures saved would be channelled to town's development including electricity supply." As the town's revenue will remain unchanged next year estimated at RM30 million similar to that of this year, the council has to trim down the costs " he told Johor Buzz here yesterday. Abdul Wahab said as the town progressed, more street lighting was required and the RM2.4 million annual allocation would be exceeded.

He said although the cutback was limited, it was an important step for the council to create awareness of the people to be prudent and find ways and means to reduce its expenditure. Abdul Wahab said the council would still maintain landscaping projects adding its austerity drive would not affect town's beautification programme.

On the birth of Ledang on Jun 9, Johor's ninth district, he said the council would continue to collect revenue although a large chunk of land designated to Ledang when its boundary runs along Muar river.

He said, to date, the council has not received any official directive from the Johor government to stop its revenue collection. Abdul Wahab said the land taken by Ledang included Tanjung Agas industrial site, several housing estates and orchard plantations situated along the roads to Kesang, near Malacca border, and Sungai Sendok, near Tangkak, which provided about RM3 million annual revenue to the council.

Regarding for the today NEW STRAITS TIMES report, the Johor State Assemblyman for Bentayan Constituency, Gwee Tong Hiang had been raised the related matter in the recently Johor State Assembly sitting, which the answer given by the Barisan Nasional Government as below :

SOALAN-SOALAN BERTULIS DI PERSIDANGAN DEWAN NEGERI JOHOR MULAI PADA 19 JUN 2008 Hingga 4 JULAI 2008 YANG DISOAL OLEH Y.B. ENCIK GWEE TONG HIANG (AHLI DEWAN NEGERI, KAWASAN BENTAYAN)

SOALAN B 26

a.

Bagaimanakah dengan cadangan kenaikan Cukai Taksiran oleh Kerajaan Negeri pada tahun 2006 dan telah ditangguhkan, yang melibatkan Majlis Perbandaran Muar, Majlis Daerah Segamat dan beberapa lagi Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan?

b.

Adakah cadangan kenaikan Cukai Taksiran telah dimansuhkan oleh pihak kerajaan?


JAWAPAN

a.

Cadangan senarai nilaian semula berserta kadar baru bagi 6 Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan berikut :

1) Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru
2) Majlis Perbandaran Muar
3) Majlis Daerah Segamat
4) Majlis Daerah Simpang Renggam
5) Majlis Daerah Pontian
6) Majlis Daerah Mersing

Masih ditangguhkan penggunaannya oleh Kerajaan Negeri sebagaimana RM Bil. 1121/2006 bertarikh 19-07-2006.

Penangguhan penggunaan senarai nilaian semula berserta kadar baru adalah untuk memberi peluang kepada PBT menyemak semula peratus kenaikan cukai taksiran baru supaya jumlah yang dibayar oleh pembayar cukai tidak tinggi daripada jumlah cukai taksiran sedia ada.

Dalam keadaan kenaikan harga minyak petrol dan diesel yang telah diumumkan oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan baru-baru ini adalah kurang wajar jika PBT pula ingin melaksanakan penggunaan senarai nilaian semula berserta kadar baru dalam tempoh terdekat ini.

Bagi menggelakkan pembayar-pembayar cukai mengalami kesan kenaikan cukai taksiran, Kerajaan Negeri bersetuju supaya PBT masih mengguna pakai senarai nilaian berserta kadar sedia ada bagi semua pegangan bercukai di Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan.

b.

Hasil daripada cukai taksiran merupakan jumlah pungutan hasil terbesar PBT iaitu antara 70% - 80% daripada jumlah hasil keseluruhan yang terdiri daripada Hasil Cukai, Hasil Bukan Cukai dan Terimaan Bukan Hasil.

PBT perlu membelanjakan pungutan hasil tersebut untuk Perbelanjaan Mengurus seperti Bayaran Emolumen Pekerja, Perkhidmatan Sisa Pepejal dan Pembersihan Am, Penyelenggaraan Kemudahan dan Pembelian Harta Modal. Selain dari itu PBT juga bertanggungjawab untuk melaksanakan kerja-kerja pembangunan seperti menaiktaraf jalan, parit, pasar, gerai-gerai, dewan, lampu-lampu jalan dan lain-lain kemudahan awam untuk keselesaan penduduk di PBT berkenaan.

Memandangkan kos bahan-bahan binaan untuk melaksanakan sesuatu projek telah semakin meningkat kini, PBT mungkin tidak berkemampuan untuk menjalankan projek-projek pembangunan di PBT jika hasil cukai taksiran di kurangkan.

OLEH ITU, PADA MASA INI KERAJAAN NEGERI TIDAK BERCADANG UNTUK MENAIKKAN KADAR CUKAI TAKSIRAN DI PIHAK BERKUASA TEMPATAN NEGERI JOHOR.