ARREARS OF RATES AND ASSESSMENTS OF PROPERTIES

Legislative Assembly of Singapore · 13 August 1958 · 1st Legislative Assembly

Official Report, 13 August 1958, Vol 7, Issue 1 · Open in the reader (summaries, search, filters)

Abdul Hamid Bin Haji JumatJohn Ede
8

Mr John Ede asked the Minister for Local Government, Lands and Housing, with reference to paragraphs 12 to 17 of the Final Report from the Public Accounts Committee ( Sessional Paper No. L.A. 14 of 1957), if he will state -

(a) the arrears of rates as at (i) 31st December, 1957; and (ii) 30th June, 1958; and

(b) how many properties have been assessed or re-assessed during the period January to June, 1958; and how many properties remain to be assessed or re-assessed.

Inche Abdul Hamid: Mr Speaker, Sir, the arrears of rates as at 31st January, 1957 including the arrears carried over from the past year amounted to $1,697,468.28. Arrears for 1957 collected from 1st January to 30th June, 1958 amounted to $772,087.12 and to the end of July $889,339.58. This sum is nearly equal to the sum of $940,006.67 which was the amount of arrears collected for the whole of last year. This improvement was made possible by reorganisation of work and the recruitment towards the end of last year of five of the required new seven bailiffs.

Regarding (b), 1,771 properties were assessed or re-assessed during the period January to June 1958, at an annual value of just over $1 million, yielding an additional revenue of just over $200,000.

As regards remaining properties yet to be assessed, it is estimated that there are about 2,000 permanent buildings yet to be assessed of which about 1,500 are new houses in such housing estates as Opera Estate, Glasgow Road, Jalan Kayu, Spring Hill Estate, Sembawang Road, 13½ m.s. Sembawang Road, Sembawang Hill Estate, Thomson Ridge, Bukit Timah Estate and Hong-Kong Park.

It is on these properties that the Rates Officers, including three newly recruited assistant rates officers, are now concentrating their efforts. This will leave resettlement areas throughout the Rural Board area and many attap houses situated well away from the main roads yet to be assessed. Assessment and reassessment on these localities will follow after the large estates have been completed.

Source: Singapore Parliament Official Report (Hansard) for 13 August 1958. Republished on SGParliament.