Thursday, June 12, 2008

Perak scraps RM5,000 levy - The Star

IPOH: Jun 12, 2008 By HAH FOONG LIAN (hah@thestar.com.my)

The state government has abolished the RM5,000 levy imposed on foreigners conducting property transactions in the state.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said the move would encourage foreigners to invest in the state.

“To be a foreign-investor-friendly state, we have decided to abolish the RM5,000 levy imposed on all property transactions, including property put up for auction by foreigners,” he said yesterday after chairing the weekly state executive council (exco) meeting.

On whether the move would result in a loss of state revenue, Nizar said the government was not looking at the move as a loss.

“It is an opportunity for foreigners to come to Perak,” he said.

Senior exco member Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham said the move would also benefit Malaysians who wanted to transfer their property to their children who had become citizens of other countries.

Nizar also announced that the position of state opposition leader would be given due recognition and the Perak Constitution would be amended to provide for it.

“We will probably be the first state to recognise the post of opposition leader and we have provided an office and other facilities to the person,” he said.

“We want to emulate Parliament in recognising the position of the opposition leader,” he added.

On the Federal Government’s RM3.7bil double-tracking project from here to Padang Besar, Nizar said the state would cooperate to expedite the project.

“We have identified a 70.8ha plot of land in the Larut, Matang and Selama districts to re-locate squatters living along the railway tracks,’ he said, adding that the move could take place within a month.

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