One Nation Different States Tax Varies. A tales of two cities.
I live in Johor state after returning from my oversea tertiary education. I work in Johor trough out my working life with a short stint in Singapore. After married, I often travel to Kuching, my wife hometown. There is where my culture shock began.
Transport charges
My wife bought her first home need extensive renovation at the front car porch. Off we went to the hardware shop dealing with ceramic tile. After an hour viewing and selection, we finally settled for tile costing more than RM2,000.00
” Boss, There is an RM50.00 transport charge that you need to pay.” the sweet damsel told us.
” Wh…at! Why? We brought over RM2,000.00 worth of tiles, there is no such practice in Johor, moreover, the distance between here and to our house is merely 5 kilometers away. You cut throat ” I probed.
” It is standard practice here. No transport charges, no delivery, our business is still very good, Look at the crowd of buyers outside.” she cockily answered me.
Now, I understand why my fifth brother built a Japenses factory shipped all the building material from Johor. The houses here have very low ceiling regardless the types of house, be it bungalow or low- cost house. I hardly seeing a house built by the developer has a 15 ft high ceiling.
I questioned my brother-in-law about this issue. He advises not to compare with Johor with a question mark?
Deposit
We were busily cooking our meal one day, the gas had finished. I called the gas delivery man to send me two cylinders of gas.
” OK. no problem, but you need to pay RM200.00 for the deposit of the new cylinder gas tank” the boss briefed me over the phone.
” Why RM200.00 for the deposit, not RM80.00 in West Malaysia, moreover, the gas is a control item in Malaysia” I questioned him.
” Then you wait for RM200.00 drop to Rm80.00.” He told me off.
Identity issue.
I am Johorean, each time at the arrival hall at the Kuching International Airport, I need to go the immigration counter. I need to sign a small note of paper, keep it safely, present to them after leaving the Sarawak, but there is no such issue when East Malaysian entered West Malaysia.
Once I questioned about it.
” Inilah procedure, jangan tanya saya kenapa. Tanya orang di atas” the muka asam immigration ooficer answered me like that.
East Malaysia has joined the Federal on 16 Sept 1963, I just don’t under why such an issue exists until today.
Can anyone know the true answer?
One Nation Different States Tax Varies. A tales of two states
No House Assessment
During my trip back to Kuching to celebrate Chinese New Year with my wife’s sibling. We went to the land surveyor office to pay the house assessment which is due soon in May 2017.
” I am here to pay the house assessment” I politely told the smiling face cashier at the counter.
” Sir, Good afternoon, there is is no more house assessment since July 2016. It has been abolished. The commercial lot only need to pay” she told me with her warmth smile.
We went off smiling ear to ear.
No Land Tax
My son and I went to the Kota Samarahan to pay the land tax for a small piece of agriculture land.
” Sir, this is the identity card, I would like to check how much I have to pay for the ‘Cukai Tanah?” He asked.
After a few minutes after checking with the computer system, there is no outstanding. He briefed us, “you don’t have to any the land tax from January 2016 onward.”
We could not believe what he said.
” Yes, sir, it has been abolished by the late Tan Sri Adenan Satem since 2016. Another Ang Pao for us in this 2017 Rooster Year. I really pay through my nose for land tax and house assessment in Johor for a few thousand ringgit a year.
We have a hard time in the high cost of living in Malaysia, where everything goes up, never comes down the only exception Malaysia Ringgit down more than 30% against US$ since last year.
A poem to console me before I can retire to bed tonight.
UP$ UP$ UP$
Last year, Cooking Oil Up
Recently, fuel 20 cents up
Grocery bill goes up
Petrol bill also goes up
My Goreng Pisang also up
Mama Mee Goreng also up
Malay Nasi Goreng Kampung also up
Chinese Kung Fu noodle also up
Harga Kangkong pun Naik
Gaji x Naik
But my “Kepala Angin” naik
Then my doctor fee also Naik.
Only Malaysian Ringgit RM is down.
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