KOTA KINABALU: The Sandakan Municipal Council has yet to submit a proposal to increase assessment rates for this year to the Sabah government, says state Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam.
“Sandakan council has not sent in their (proposal) yet. So what decision can we make?” he said when contacted Tuesday (Jan 9).
Ratepayers in Sandakan are unsure if the proposed increase has been put on hold or if it will be implemented, even though the year’s assessment payments are already due.
Council president Henry Idol issued a statement earlier on Tuesday to dismiss claims on social media that the rates would not be increased.
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Idol said no official statement had been issued by the council on the matter.
His statement came as politicians and community leaders claimed that the rates would not be increased this year.
They argued that the state government should not implement the hike given the current economic situation.
Details of the proposed new rates are also unclear although some business owners have claimed that the increase for their premises was between 30% and 80%.
The council has said it had not increased rates for “a long time” although it is required by law to conduct a review every four years.
