Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor says property owners are confused about the increase in assessment rate for Kuala Lumpur.

Tengku Adnan said they only need to pay six percent of the assessment rate and not the full amount shown in the notices sent out.

NONE "The people do not understand. The amount they are supposed to pay is much smaller than what is given in the notice. They have misunderstood what we told them," he said.

He also blamed opposition parties for 'creating confusion' on the matter.

"For example, you were paying the previous rental rates, RM1,000, which was enforced 21 years ago, and now with the new rates which we had increased to RM2,000, is an increase of 100 percent...

"We are not asking you to pay RM2,000 but only to pay six percent of the RM2,000. So if you had been paying RM60, then now you have to pay RM120 basically," he told reporters today after the federal territories hawkers and traders development council meeting at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) headquarters.

No postponements

Over the past few weeks, Kuala Lumpur ratepayers have been receiving notices informing them about the increase in assessment rates. DBKL has argued that it was necessary because the rates had not been revised in 21 years.

The authorities have justified the need to revise the rates because properties have appreciated over the past two decades.

However, ratepayers are complaining that the notice states that the proposed assessment rate was manyfolds what they have been paying and that the increase was too steep and sudden.

Previously, Tengku Adnan stated that DBKL is expected to raise RM400 million a year in revenue from the increase and that the money was needed the money for development projects and to upgrade infrastructure.

Earlier today, he added that DBKL also needed money to improve garbage collection services in the city.

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Ahmad Phesal Talib, who was also at the press conference today, reiterated that there will be no postponements to the new assessment rates, contrarary to what was reported in by some news outlets.

"There will be no postponement in the enforcement of the new rates. It will still go on in January next year," he said.