IMPROVEMENT RATE FOR 1960

6.43 p.m.

The Minister for National Development (Mr Ong Eng Guan): Mr Speaker, I beg to move,

That this Assembly approves the Improvement Rate of 2 per centum on the annual value of all houses, buildings, lands and tenements within the State of Singapore, fixed by the Minister for National Development under subsection (1) of section 22 of the Singapore Improvement Ordinance (Cap. 259) for the year 1960.

Mr Speaker, it has been the practice so far to fix the Improvement Rate at 2 per cent and to restrict the levy of the rate to properties within the City area. I want to make it clear that for the year 1960 there will be no change to the previous practice.

The wording of the motion is quite different from that of similar motions introduced in previous years. The difference in the wording has arisen out of certain amendments which are made to section 22, subsection (1) of the Singapore Improvement Ordinance in connection with the reorganisation of local government undertaken by the former government. In the reorganisation, certain areas in the Island were transferred from the jurisdiction of the City Council to that of the Rural Board, and vice versa, with the result that the boundary of the City area is altered. The purpose of the amendments to the Singapore Improvement Ordinance was to enable the Improvement Rate to be applied to Singapore as a whole and, by means of orders to be made by the Minister, for properties situated outside the former City area to be exempted from the levy of the rate as hitherto. An order making this exemption with effect from the 1st January, 1958, was made by the former Minister for Local Government, Lands and Housing and published in Gazette Notification S. 342 on 24th December, 1958. This exemption will continue to apply so that the status quo is preserved.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Miss Chan Choy Siong (Delta): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to second the motion.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this Assembly approves the Improvement Rate of 2 per centum on the annual value of all houses, buildings, lands and tenements within the State of Singapore, fixed by the Minister for National Development under subsection (1) of section 22 of the Singapore Improvement Ordinance (Cap. 259) for the year 1960.