NEW tenants of hawker spaces owned by the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) should not be forced to pay the outstanding water bills of old tenants, said MBPP councillor Wong Yuee Harng.
Wong said instead of collecting the outstanding bills from the current tenants, Penang Water Supply Corporation Sdn Bhd (PBAPP) should come up with solutions to collect outstanding water bills from the old tenants.
“Many hawkers and tenants were unable to obtain approval to install water meters because PBAPP rejected them when they find outstanding water bills at that particular slot.
“This makes it hard for the new tenants to move in as some water bills have accumulated over a long period,” he said after the council meeting at City Hall in George Town recently.
“It is also unfair to ask either the council or the new tenants to pay the outstanding water bills of the old tenants,” he added.
He added that PBAPP needs to come up with a solution to go after the old tenants for the
outstanding payments as the situation has been ongoing since 2016.
“PBAPP should take the old tenants to court if they fail to pay up, and not impose the payment rates on new tenants.
“This causes the spots owned by the council to be unoccupied as no one wants to take them up, causing huge losses to the council.
“I hope PBAPP can come up with a solution and allow new tenants to install their water meter without forcing them or the council to pay the outstanding bills,” he added.
Meanwhile, MBPP mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said the public can now ‘SnapNPay’ their assessment taxes using the SnapNPay app beginning April 1 this year.
“They will only need to scan the QR codes using the app to pay their assessment tax,” he said.
He said a RM1 surcharge is applicable to those paying through their current and savings account while a 1% fee will be charged through credit card payments.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
