Gerakan questions Guan Eng's claim of state revenue coming from quit rent

Gerakan today questioned Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's claim that the state's revenue had come from quit rent collection.

Its secretary-general, Datuk Liang Teck Meng said the state's revenue had instead come from land sales between 2008 and 2015 amounting to RM1.22 billion, as stated in the Auditor-General's Report.

Speaking at a press conference at the Gerakan headquarters, here, today, he said the figure was higher than the state's accumulated surplus at RM574 million.

Liang, who is also the Member of Parliament for Simpang Renggam, said the figures did not include other assets sold by Penang Development Corporation (PDC).

He claimed that the Penang state government had received payments from PDC amounting to RM173.5 million from land sales between 2013 and 2015.

"This means that the revenue from selling state land has now reached RM1.4 billion.

"Clearly, this (amount) is insufficient to pay for the DAP-led Penang state government administration's big expenditure increase.

"What is shown is the sharp increase in land premiums through the granting of land ownership which increased each year from RM19 million in 2008 to RM324 million in 2015," said Liang.

Lim had in a statement on Jan 4, said that Liang could not include the PDC's sales revenue as part of the state revenue's source. - BERNAMA