GEORGE TOWN: Penang ratepayers have voiced strong objections to what they call an “unreasonable and shocking” hike in quit rent slated for next year, saying the increase, rising by several hundred to several thousand percent, will burden households and push up living costs.
In a memorandum submitted at the Penang State Assembly on Thursday (Nov 20), association president Lee Kim Noor said the scale of the proposed hike was “totally unreasonable and beyond what ratepayers can absorb”.
“It was reported that quit rent will be increased by several hundred to several thousand percent. Such an increase is shocking and completely unacceptable,” he said in the memo.
The Penang Ratepayers Association (Ratepayers Penang) said the move would affect about 370,000 title holders, translating into a heavier annual financial load and potentially triggering “another wave of inflation for Penangites”.
The association pointed out that while the state had earlier discussed raising quit rent collection by around RM100mil, the new projection of RM200mil or more would have a much larger impact than anticipated.
It also warned that high-rise parcel owners will face similar revisions in 2029 when their parcel rents come up for review.
The memorandum was handed over to Yap Lee Ying, press secretary and communications director at the Chief Minister’s Office, who received it on behalf of Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
This is the second consecutive year the association has lodged its protest, having previously urged the state to introduce any revision gradually and at minimal levels.
