Published: Thursday January 10, 2013 MYT 6:19:00 PM
Updated: Thursday January 10, 2013 MYT 6:29:35 PM
Johor looking to raise foreign house ownership ceiling to RM1mil
By NELSON BENJAMIN
NUSAJAYA: Johor is looking at raising the present RM500,000 ceiling to RM1mil for foreign house buyers to check the spiralling price of houses.
Local Government, Housing, Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Ahmad Zahri Jamil said the state Economic Planning Unit (UPEN) was studying ways to tighten the rules on foreign ownership and a decision would be made this year.
"If there is going to be an increase, then foreigners will only be able to purchase homes above RM1mil,” he told reporters here.
Presently, Singaporeans formed the bulk of house buyers in the state followed by the Americans, Britons and Chinese nationals.
“We are concerned about the spiralling house prices in the state especially in Iskandar Malaysia.
"For example, one waterfront project with 500 units was fully taken up with just 30% of the project completed,” he added.
Ahmad Zahri said despite the increase in house prices in Johor, prices were still cheaper compared to those in the Klang Valley.
He said the state government had also introduced a new housing policy to guard the interest of the middle and lower income groups.
The new initiatives include setting up of a Johor housing board similar to Singapore's Housing Development Broad, to look into the maintenance of public housing.
“We do not want our public housing projects to become slum areas due to poor maintenance,” he said, adding that the state would be building 5,500 homes under the public housing projects this year in Pelangi Indah, Perling, Penggerang, Bandar Baru Uda and Ulu Tiram.
“This is part of our squatter relocation programme and is funded by the federal government with an allocation of RM88mil,” he said.
Under the scheme, people staying at public housing schemes only pay RM124 a month for rent.
“We are also building larger homes under our affordable housing schemes to enable people to own bigger homes in the state ranging from RM50,000 for a 750 sq/ft home to RM150,000 for a 1,100 sq/ft house,” he said.
- Thousands attend Pakatan rally in Malacca
- Cops uncover extortion gang targeting China entreprenuers
- EC: Photograph of ‘blackout’ on polling day was a lie
- Traffic slow heading north
- Barisan mulls name change. Parti 1Malaysia?
- Civil and Syariah laws should be reviewed to prevent child marriage, says Azizah
- Palanivel denies “no contest resolution” allegations
- Idris Jusoh to sue PKR and Rafizi for slander
- Mural proves so popular, owner forced to whitewash it
- MIC is the 'mother party of the Indian community', not Hindraf, says Palanivel
- Malaysian Buddhists celebrate Wesak Day
- Robber shot dead after attacking out-of-uniform cop with meat cleaver
- PKR preparing five-year GE14 'war' plan, says Azmin (updated)
- Tian, Tamrin and Haris released after remand denied (updated)
- Sea lanes, barter trading to be reviewed, says Esscom D-G
- Malaysia tycoon Vincent Tan plans IPO of football club Cardiff City
- Google, like Facebook, in talks to buy Waze for about US$1bil
- Crown selling entire 10% in rival Echo, partly owned by Genting(Update)
- First edition of 'Great Gatsby' to be sold at auction, can fetch US$150,000
- Malaysia leads the way in Basel III debt
- Markets face rough summer ride as Fed pullback feared
- Wall Street sags, HP hits 52-week high
- Commodities trader sues BP, Shell others for alleged oil price fixing
- Billionaire Icahn seeks up to US$7bil for Dell bid
- Google faces new federal antitrust probe
- Goldman Sachs unveils checks on conflicts in bid to fix tarnished image
- Air Asia's Tony Fernandes to ‘fire up’ investors
- Maybank bullish on growth, to expand regionally under new leadership
- Khazanah appoints Nor Mohamed deputy chairman
- Lafarge Malayan Cement to finalise next expansion plans by August
- British police arrest two men on diverted Pakistan flight (Updated)
- Britain scrambles fighter jets to escort Pakistani passenger plane
- 5,000 cave paintings discovered in Mexico
- Cars, schools ablaze in fifth night of Stockholm riots
- London's Heathrow airport closed after emergency landing
- Far East quake felt in Moscow, tsunami warning lifted
- Police make new arrests in London soldier killing
- Britain's press demands jailing of Islamist preacher
- Tsunami warning in Russia's Far East after 8.2 quake
- US bridge collapse sends cars, people into river
- Strong quake strikes off Tonga
- Jury fails to decide on US murderer death sentence
- One killed in Brazil giant fuel depot blaze
- British Open: Nicol David deals with disruptions for semi spot
- Kingston leads, McIlroy in Wentworth woe
- LPGA plans 12-hole rounds in water-logged Bahamas
- Ryan Palmer sizzles with 62 to seize lead at Colonial
- Kelly overcomes scare to clinch title in KLGCC
- Time to make amends Garcia wants to meet Woods to defuse racist row
- American Johnson back to defend Colonial crown
- Rain dampens debut of LPGA Bahamas event
- Tianlang adds another US event to schedule
- Clock ticking for next golden generation
- Nadal wants to create history at Roland Garros
- Serena out to tame French Open demons
- Zheng Jie stuns Wozniacki in Brussels
- British Open: Ramy Ashour racks up 38th successive win
- Nicol David sails into quarter-finals of British Open in 35 minutes
- KL car number plates to bear ‘W1A’
- Fernandes does his first firing in Apprentice Asia
- Thousands throng thanksgiving rally by DAP
- DJ stands by hubby in molest case
- Tian, Tamrin and Haris released after remand denied (updated)
- Three held over May 13 statements
- Rally organisers told to adhere to Act or face the music
- Robber shot dead after attacking out-of-uniform cop with meat cleaver
- Barisan mulls name change. Parti 1Malaysia?
- Rafizi: PKR filing election petition for Balik Pulau parliamentary seat
- KL car number plates to bear ‘W1A’
- Air Asia's Tony Fernandes to ‘fire up’ investors
- Singapore GDP growth surprises, beats economists’ forecast of contraction
- Tian, Tamrin and Haris released after remand denied (updated)
- Malaysia leads the way in Basel III debt
- Inventions a-plenty, but no real innovation
- Robber shot dead after attacking out-of-uniform cop with meat cleaver
- Thousands throng thanksgiving rally by DAP
- EC: Photograph of ‘blackout’ on polling day was a lie
- Lafarge Malayan Cement to finalise next expansion plans by August
RSS
