Johor to defer implementation of development charge for housing projects

ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor Housing and Local Government committee chairman Datuk Md Jais Sarday said the state will defer the implementation of the development charge for housing projects to early next year.
The development charge was scheduled to be implemented on Sept 1 this year.
He said the deferment was due to some local authorities needing more time to prepare the development charges.
"We want all 16 local authorities to implement the charges at the same time, but some local authorities said they need more time to do the preparation, so I would suggest the development charges be postponed to early next year," he told reporters after inspecting the preparation work for the Johor Advancement Expo at Kota Iskandar here today.
He said housing developers are receptive to the charge since it has already been implemented in other states.
The charge will be imposed on those who change the status of their land, increase the density of a project and increase the floor size in their housing projects.
The development charge is classified into four categories, with the maximum of 30% to be imposed on development projects within the seven international zones, 25% under the Johor Baru City Council's jurisdiction, 15% for those covered by local councils and 10% by district councils.
Other states that have already imposed the development charge are Selangor since 2010, Perak in 2012, Kelantan in 2015 and Terengganu early this year.
On the Johor Advancement Expo, Jais said it will showcase the success story of the Johor Government since 2013.
The exhibition will be open from Oct 6 to Oct 14, from 10am to 10pm.