VIDEO l 4:37 min

Pakatan Rakyat MPs have urged the public to come together and rally on Dec 16 against the unreasonable assessment tax hike by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

Speaking at the Parliament lobby today, the opposition MPs in charge of constituencies in the capital city said the protest was the final bid to make DBKL and Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor come clean about the assessment hike.

NONE Many property owners were last month slapped with a bill for up to 300 percent more in taxes after properties rental values were revised up sharply, after being left unchanged for 21 years.

"Make sure our protest is registered... we urge everyone to come," Batu MP Tian Chua told reporters.

Tian Chua also urged unhappy KL-ites to continue submitting protest forms to DBKL, as the confusing statement recently made by Tengku Adnan and his deputy indicated that they can't be trusted to care for the rakyat.

"If we don't send in forms in protest, they will say that most people agree to the hike," Tian Chua said.

Pakatan MPs urged people to come in busloads. All resident association leaders should also spread the word for the rally to be held at Dataran DBKL at 11 am on Dec 16, they said.

'Come clean on accounts'

Meanwhile Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai ( below ) said that one of the aims of the protest was to pressure DBKL to come clean about its accounts.

He said DBKL was due to present its budget for 2014 in the third week of December and this should carry details of its revenues and expenditure, and why it needs to suddenly raise money through extra taxes.

NONE "I am sure that since there are so many flats and condominiums concentrated in KL alone, there is no reason why the current taxes are not be enough," Tan said, adding that DBKL recorded a surplus of RM270 million in 2012.

While KL mayor Ahmad Phesal Talib was mostly silent about the hike, Tengku Adnan had been making confusing statements.

Faced with widespread criticism last month, Tengku Adnan spoke with KL MPs in a closed-door meeting and later said that he would review DBKL's decision on Dec 17.

He hinted that DBKL may reduce the rate for some so as not to burden the rakyat.

Last week, however, the minister contradicted his own deputy, insisting that the revision of the assessment rate was not being deferred to March.

He stressed that the new rate will be effective from January next year as scheduled.

Some 507,000 property owners in KL have received notices for the assessment hike.

Tengku Adnan said that the higher taxes would rake in about RM400 million more for DBKL and to be used for road, markets and drainage upgrading besides garbage collection .