42pct of Sandakan residents owe RM33 mln in assessment fees

0

Wong

SANDAKAN: About 42 per cent of residents in Sandakan have not paid their assessment fees for the year 2020, amounting to RM33 million as of June 15, this year.

Sandakan Municipal Council (SMC) president Wong Foo Tin said the figure is bad because SMC is dependent on 75 per cent of revenue from assessment fees paid by residents to pay its personnel, as well as to fund operations, maintenance, and purchase of assets.

“Low income from assessment fees would affect the council; it could not provide the best service to the community. All residents want the best service from SMC, but at the same time they refuse to pay their annual assessment fees,” he said.

To reduce the burden of the people during this difficult time, he said on March 25, the State Government had announced a 20 per cent rebate on assessment fees for the year 2020 in Sabah.

He urged the community to make use of this rebate and be responsible by paying their assessment fees.

“SMC will put names of those who have outstanding assessment fees into the CTOS system. It will also stop its services for those who still have not paid their assessment fees.

“The council is also in the process of taking the names of those who have not paid their assessment fees to court, and will be publishing the names of those who have yet to pay in the newspapers and social media in the nearest time,” he stressed.