SEREMBAN: Residents in the state need not fork out extra for land-related expenses this year after the Mentri Besar gave the order to defer the hike of fees for all land-related matters and other services.

       State secretary Datuk Dr Razali Ab Malik said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun had given an order that the new fee structure, which was supposed to have taken effect July 1, be deferred.

       The Negri Sembilan Land and Mines Department has now been told to defer increasing the fees for all land-related matters and other services although it has been given the approval by the state government to do so.

       The fees are not to be increased until the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control.

       On Wednesday, the state MCA voiced its objection to the move, saying that any increase at a time when the country was facing a pandemic was unjustified.

       Razali said the state government had given its approval to the department to increase the rates in March.

       “The new fee structure for the management and administration of all land-related matters in the state is hereby deferred as the state government is concerned with the Covid-19 situation,” he said in a statement.

       On Wednesday, state MCA chief Siow Koi Voon urged the state government to revoke the approval given to the department to revise its fee structure upwards.

       Siow expressed regret that the state government had allowed the registration fees for matters such as charging and discharging and transfers of properties, registration or withdrawal of caveats and several other applications to be increased when the people are already facing hardship.

       Citing examples, Siow said the department used to impose a fee of RM40 to register a charge or discharge of a property but the new rate is RM100.

       He said the fee to register a private caveat, among others, has also been increased from RM70 to RM330 while the charge to change the ownership of a property had been doubled based on its value.

       He said the application fee for a new grant had been increased from RM165 to RM300.

       Razali said the state government had agreed to revise the rates as the last time this was done was back in 2002.

       “The increase was also allowed after taking into consideration the fee structure for similar services in other states in the peninsula,” he said.

       State Land and Mines director Datuk Zulkifli Baharan in a circular on the new “Rate of Office Fees” said a review was needed as some of the provisions and charges had become irrelevant and had to be updated.

       Zulkifli said the fee increases were reasonable and would not burden the public.