KUCHING, Dec 28 — Some 8 per cent of landowners will have higher quit rent effective January 1, 2023 following an approved revision on June 16 under Section 30(5) of the Sarawak Land Code.
Based on the revision gazettement on June 30, a total of 59,710 land titles would be affected or 8 per cent from a total of 734,388 registered land titles in Sarawak.
According to a Sarawak Land and Survey Department statement, the current rate has been used since 1994.
The new quit rent rates will increase from 22 sen to RM1.62 per square metre for shophouses; 20 sen to RM1.46 per square metres for other commercial use aside from shophouses and ports, mining, mineral and trace elements use; from 9 sen to 43 sen per square metre for industrial use; office and mixed development use from 5 sen to 23 sen per square metre; for recreational from 3 sen to 12 sen per square metre; oil and gas industry usage at 54 sen per square metre; and other land use from 2 sen to 8 sen per square metre.
Meanwhile, for commercial plantation land exceeding 100 acres (40.47 ha), the new rate is RM30 per ha.
This rate is RM25 per ha for quit rent, while RM5 per ha is collected by the local government to replace the plantation levy.
“The quit rent revision does not involve land which was tax abolished in 2016, which are farm land below 100 acres and residential land,” said the department.
The department noted that the new quit rent rates in Sarawak are among the lowest compared to those imposed in other states in Malaysia.
Landowners can review the new quit rent at their district Land and Survey Department, while further information can also be obtained on its website starting January 1, 2023.
The department said as the government is committed to ensuring the well-being of the people, many infrastructure and public amenities have been developed and will continue to be developed to speed up economic growth in the state.
It said continuous development also increases the overall land value, with the value increasing between 75 and 200 per cent from 1994 to 2022.
Intensive development in the city area has also overflowed into the surrounding area, with some land categories being upgraded.
These include Suburban Land upgraded to Town Land, and some Country Land upgraded to Town Land.
In line with the developments, the department with the cooperation of the Natural Resources and Urban Development Ministry, conducted a study and quit rent rate comparison of several states in peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.
Based on the study, the government approved a revision of the quit rent on June 16 under the Section 30(5) Sarawak Land Code. — Borneo Post Online
