KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — Penang quit rent for a 12-hectare plot has been slashed from RM334,544 to RM180 following a state-wide review, with landowners urged to file appeals by April 30 to benefit from reductions of up to 82 per cent.

In a statement, Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng said the RM50 appeal fee has been waived, adding that the revised rates were confirmed to him yesterday by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

Lim said Chow had verified that quit rent rates for properties with majority residential use have been reduced by 78.5 per cent in urban areas, from RM3.25 to 70 sen per square metre, and by 82 per cent in rural areas, from RM2.80 to 50 sen per square metre.

Vacant land without structures will be taxed at the agricultural rate of RM25 per hectare.

He cited a case in Seberang Perai Utara involving a 11.95-hectare plot previously leased for paddy cultivation, where tax had surged from RM112 to RM334,544 — a 2,987-fold increase — before being revised down to RM180 under the new rates. The reduction amounts to RM334,364, or nearly 100 per cent, with potential savings of about RM3.34 million over 10 years.

Lim added that Chow is expected to decide on five related matters, including quit rent rates for low-cost housing without strata titles or under master titles, a nominal RM50 rate for land owned by schools, non-Muslim places of worship, cemeteries and non-profit associations, as well as rates for new villages and traditional kampungs.

The state is also considering a 50 per cent quit rent rebate this year, alongside improvements to ensure appeal procedures are carried out in an orderly and inclusive manner, he said.

Landowners requiring assistance with appeal forms can visit Lim’s service centres at Jalan Kampung Gajah, Butterworth (04-3136525), or Jalan Air Itam, Ayer Itam (04-8290614).