Negri govt withdraws ruling allowing fee hike for land matters

 

SEREMBAN: The Negri Sembilan government has rescinded a directive allowing the state Land and Mines Department to increase the fees it charged for all land-related matters and other services.

This came after the state MCA opposed the move which was to take effect Thursday (July 1).

State secretary Datuk Dr Razali Ab Malik said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (pic) has given an order that the charges are not to be increased till the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control.

“The new fee structure for the management and administration of all land-related matters in the state is hereby deferred as the state government is concerned with the Covid-19 situation,” he said in a statement.

Razali said the state government had given the approval to the department in March.

On Wednesday (June 30), state MCA chief Siow Koi Voon urged the state government to revoke the approval given to the department to revise its fee structure upwards.

He said any increase at a time when the country was facing a pandemic was not justified.

Siow expressed regret that the state government had allowed the registration fees for matters such as charging and discharging and transfers of properties, registration or withdrawal of caveats and several other applications to be increased when the people are already facing hardships.

Citing examples, Siow said the department used to impose a fee of RM40 to register a charge or discharge of a property but the new rate is RM100.

He said the fee to register a private caveat, among others, has also been increased from RM70 to RM330 while the charge to change the ownership of a property has been doubled based on its value.

He said the application fee for a new grant has also been increased from RM165 to RM300.

Razali said the state government had agreed to revise the rates as the last time this was done was back in 2002.

“The increase was also allowed after taking into consideration the fee structure for similar services in other states in the peninsula,” he said.

State Land and Mines director Datuk Zulkifli Baharan in a circular on the new "Rate of Office Fees" said a review was needed as some of the provisions and charges had become irrelevant and had to be updated.

Zulkifli said the fee increases were reasonable and would not burden the public. - Star