Friday July 30, 2010
Forgo discount to help the poor, rich bumis urged
PETALING JAYA: It would be good if rich bumiputras could agree not to take the 7% discount for high-end homes and commercial property and give the benefit to the poor, said Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung.
Chor, who is MCA vice-president, said those who could afford houses worth RM1.5mil and above were rich enough and did not need the discount.
“There are still many bumiputras who cannot own a house. They need to be helped.
“If we can take away (the discount) from the rich, irrespective of their race, and give it to the poor, we can help them,” he told a press conference after giving a keynote address at the 13th National Housing and Property Summit here yesterday.
He said party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek brought up the issue two weeks before DAP MP for Petaling Jaya Utara Tony Pua suggested that the discount for bumiputras be scrapped.
Chor said Dr Chua had tasked him to study the matter further before the party made any suggestion.
“We cannot simply take away the discount and say that it will be fair to everybody. It is too simplistic,” he said.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that the Barisan Nasional-led states would not do away with the discount enjoyed by bumiputras.
On another matter, Chor said the Government was still looking for developers who would act as “white knights” to save abandoned projects.
He said currently, there were 56 abandoned projects that needed to be revived while 50 more were still in the process of being rehabilitated.
“As of July 15 this year, 45 projects have been revived,” he said.
The Government had allocated RM200mil under Budget 2010 for developers who needed money to top up what they had invested to revive these projects.
“However, no one has taken up the allocation,” he said.
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