Penang cuts quit rent to RM50 for non-Muslim worship sites, cemeteries and charities

GEORGE TOWN, April 12 — Non-Muslim houses of worship, cemeteries, charitable bodies and non-profit organisations in Penang will be eligible for a nominal quit rent rate of RM50 per lot following the latest revision.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the initiative is part of improvements made by the state government to the quit rent mechanism, reflecting its concern in easing the financial burden on the people, particularly landowners affected by the 2026 quit rent rate review.

“We have previously announced several measures, including rebates, a new calculation method and land reclassification, after taking into account nearly all scenarios.

“These announcements must continue to be communicated to ensure associations and landowners fully understand the initiatives introduced,” he said at a briefing and press conference on the adjustment of nominal quit rent rates for such entities here today.

Citing examples in the Northeast and Southwest districts, Chow said several houses of worship, cemeteries and association premises that were previously subjected to high quit rent of up to hundreds of thousands of ringgit will now only be required to pay the nominal RM50 rate following the revision.

“For instance, Lot 57 of the United Hokkien Cemetery in the Northeast district was previously charged RM735,682, but following the adjustment, it is now subject to only RM50. Likewise, Lot 58, which was previously RM111,709, is now also eligible for the RM50 nominal rate,” he said.

Chow said landowners who had already made payments based on the revised rates announced earlier may apply to their respective District and Land Offices for refunds or have the amount credited towards future payments.

He encouraged all eligible organisations to submit applications or appeals to their respective district and land offices to enable review and updating in the system.

“In principle, most non-profit organisations will qualify for this nominal rate, but applications must still be submitted for verification purposes,” he said.

Currently, there are 1,204 such entities registered with the Penang Harmony Corporation (HARMONICO), with 58 applications received by the Northeast District and Land Office. Some have qualified for the nominal rate after review, while the rest are still being assessed.

He added that the state government is also assisting organisations facing complex cases, including through relevant bodies such as Harmonico, to ensure each case is resolved fairly and comprehensively.

The state executive council meeting on April 1 agreed to improve the mechanism for determining quit rent rates in an effort to reduce the burden on landowners affected by the earlier increase. — Bernama