Disabled given 90pc discount on rates
K. Harinderan
The disabled may pay a minimum of RM5 in assessment fee
SELAYANG: The new year has brought good tidings for the disabled living in the district.
They have been given a 90 per cent reduction on the assessment rates charged for their premises.Following the move, which is effective from Jan 1, the disabled would pay a minimum of RM5 on their assessment rates.
The announcement was made by the Selayang Municipal Council president Datuk Zainal Abidin Azim at the first full board meeting for the year, which was held at the council's headquarters yesterday.
Zainal, however, said there were conditions which the disabled had to abide by.
Among others, a disabled person would have to apply to the council with supporting documents to prove his disability.
The premises must also be wholly owned by the disabled person and the application needs to be renewed annually.
Disabled people who earned less than RM1,500 a month would also qualify for the reduction in assessment rates.
Previously, the disabled were charged the full assessment rates which ranged from eight per cent of the value of the property for a low-cost flat to 10.8 per cent for a commercial building.
Zainal Abidin also said that the council had opened a drive-through counter at the entrance of the council's headquarters to facilitate the payment of assessment rates as well as payments to other local authorities and land offices in Selangor.
The counter will be opened till Feb 28 and will operate from 8.30am to 4.30pm daily.
At the board meeting, Zainal Abidin also said that up to November last year, the council's financial deficit had been reduced to RM10.38 million from RM15.8 million for the same period in 2007.
"We are stepping up measures to improve the collection of revenue through the council's enforcement department to ensure that more money is available to develop Selayang," he said.
The announcement came under fire from various councillors who said that collection of revenue was still poor.
They argued that there were many ways for the council to earn revenue and new methods had to be implemented to collect the amounts owing.
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