5% PROPERTY GAIN TAX FOR NATIVE LANDS?

By: DAP MEDIA

SABAH DAP questions the rationale for the unfair imposition of 5% property gaintax on the poor Natives for developing their ideal lands on joint-venture basis or, sales of part of their lands to raise funds for agro-based projects as well as for the welfare savings of the rural native folks in the interior.

Sabah DAP queried those irresponsible for making baseless comments against the opposition leaders for giving constructive criticisms and suggestions that were beneficial to the poor rural populations.

Dr Benjamin Yapp, Sabah DAP Parliamentary liaison Chief for Keningau and Tenom responded to Zaleha MYPan in her Daily Express Forum dated December 19, 2010 stated that it was baseless to claim that the natives became poorer when the Government imposed the ruling that 5% taxation be paid by the poor natives.

He explained that it was unfair to tax the poor whereas the wealthy businessmen and well-established companies have been contributing a huge amount of taxation as well as tax payers who have contributed millions of ringgit to the Government. Why tax the poor natives? In the past decades, the formers Prime Ministers and Sabah CMs had never enforced such policy against the NT land owners in Sabah.

Perhaps, Zaleha was well-off and couldn't care less if the large numbers of indigenous races suffered from poverty as she was probably ignorance of the real sufferings of the rural poor natives in the interior.

Had she visited the hardcore poor families and see for herself the realities of those poor rural folks with many poor children to feed, the old, rotten dilapidated house that they lived in without the basic infrastructure, amenities and without water and electricity, and barely enough food and rations to eat, the sick and aging rural populations suffering without money for healthcare and treatment, and a host of problems faced by the rural poor, she would not be so inconsiderate as to blame those who were sincere and bold enough to speak out the truths, and bring the grievances of the rural people to the attention of the Government. She has no authority to speak for the Government unless she had a ‘hidden agenda’ and was politically motivated stated Sabah DAP.

Sabah DAP has a better suggestion for the 5% taxation. Instead of imposing the taxation on the poor natives, the money could be returned to the poor natives in the form of investment in the Saham Bumiputera or, Insurance policies that would help to eradicate poverty among the poor rural natives and provide a better and secured future for their children, grand children and the old rural folks, who were being long deprived of a better standard of living said Dr Benjamin.

Sabah DAP urged the State Government to abolish the 5% taxation imposed on the NT lands of the poor natives of Sabah for the benefits and interest of the native people of Sabah.