By Suhaila Shahrul Annuar
SHAH ALAM, Dec 12 — The Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ) will distribute 60,000 units of 120-litre garbage bins free of charge in areas under its jurisdiction, next year.
Deputy mayor Zulkurnain Che Ali said the initiative aims to enhance the local council’s services, improve solid waste management, and strengthen public cleaning efforts following the implementation of new assessment tax rates, which will be enforced on January 1, 2025.
He said priority is also given to maintain infrastructure, including landscaping, street lights, and drainage systems to prevent floods.
“We are focusing on essential services like garbage collection. Next year, 60,000 garbage bins will be distributed in phases to residential areas, shops, and villages to help maintain cleanliness.
“With the tax increase, residents are curious about what they will receive in return. At our level, we have outlined our key areas of focus,” he said, adding that the new assessment rate is expected to boost MBSJ’s annual revenue by an additional RM46 million.
Meanwhile, Zulkurnain said out of 326,000 taxable properties under its purview, the local council received 10,000 objections.
“Of the 10,000 objections received, only 49 per cent, or fewer than 5,000, engaged with us directly.
“What matters most is that the additional revenue benefits the public. We hope they will be satisfied with the improvements in our services,” he said.
On December 9, state executive councillor for local government Dato’ Ng Suee Lim announced that property owners in Selangor will receive a discount of up to 75 per cent on the new assessment tax rate.
They will only have to pay 25 per cent of the total increase rate in all of the state’s local councils.
Additionally, the assessment tax exemption for low-cost houses in Selangor will be extended for the tenth consecutive year.
The exemption involves a total of RM60 million that should have been collected by local authorities.
Previously, Media Selangor reported that eight local councils had not revised their assessment tax rates in the past 20 to 40 years within their administrative areas.
The Kajang Municipal Council had not raised its tax rate for the longest period, 39 years, since 1985. The Kuala Langat Municipal Council had not made an increase in 37 years, since 1987, while the Selayang Municipal Council had not done so in 32 years, since 1992.
Meanwhile, Subang Jaya City Council had not increased taxes in the Subang Jaya and Bandar Sunway areas for 32 years, since 1992, and in USJ, Puchong, Seri Kembangan, and Serdang for 28 years, since 1996.
Ampang Jaya Municipal Council and Kuala Selangor Municipal Council have not raised their tax rates for 27 years, since 1997, while the Hulu Selangor Municipal Council has not done so for 28 years, since 1996. Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) had not imposed an assessment tax increase in 18 years, since 2006.
Based on the provisions of the (Act 171), new assessments can be made every five years or within an extended period decided by the state government.
