RM1,500 income remains as
condition for low-cost homes
Utusan.com.my 14/5/2004
KUALA LUMPUR May 13 - The government has decided to maintain the household
income of RM1,500 per month as eligibility to purchase low-cost houses
until an expert study has been made to review the income eligibility.
Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said the
study would take into account several factors such as the number of
dependents living with the applicants, the consumer price index (CPI) and
cost of living.
"We will get an expert study in calculating the CPI and living cost, how
these factors can be given an appropriate value," he said at a media
conference after attending the National Housing Meeting Number 1 for the
year 2004, here Thursday.
On April 17, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had asked the
ministry to draw up a new formula to ensure as many Malaysians had an
opportunity to own homes.
Earlier, Real Estate and Housing Developers Association (REHDA)
vice-president Datuk Mohd Khalid Harun said about one million families
with an income of between RM1,500 and RM3,000 each could not afford to own
a house.
He said that with such an income, they were not eligible to buy low-cost
homes but at the same time could not afford a more expensive house.
Ong said the meeting Thursday also discussed the construction of low-cost
houses which was insufficient and low-cost houses in several areas which
did not get the desired response.
"All state governments are given three weeks to give feedback to the
ministry on the number of low-cost houses that have been approved by all
local authorities since 1999," he said.
The number of registered applicants for low-cost homes throughout the
country between Jan 1, 1990 and May 12, 2004 was 378,250, he said.
Meanwhile, he said the ministry would create the Computerised Open
Registration System (SPT) to standardise the registration of low-cost
homes throughout the country.
He said all state governments were compelled to adopt the system which was
expected to be ready in September in updating data and the list of
applicants for low-cost homes.
Ong said so far only four states were using the same system as the one
used by the ministry and the non-standardisation of the system had
resulted in duplication of names in the list of applicants for low-cost
homes.
A working committee which would be chaired by the ministry's
Secretary-General would be set up for this purpose, he said.
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