PJ council needs search warrants to enter private homes

I refer to the article "Household items of tax defaulters will be seized, warns PJ council" published in The Malaysian Insider yesterday.

Although low-cost house owners had defaulted in payments of yearly assessments for sometime now that does not mean they should let officers from the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) and the police walk into their houses to seize their household items.

As always, people are entitled to enjoy some privacy in their own homes and also have the right to stop anyone from barging into their houses unless there is a court order given to the officer(s) to search the place, let alone seize movable household items like television sets, computers and furniture.

Likewise, the police who are the keepers of the law, should be fully aware that they too should have a court order before they join officers from MBPJ to carry out the campaign and enter into homes to seize defaulters' properties.

Their actions are outrageous and unlawful if they do not have a court order.

Carrying out such campaigns is also a costly affair. In fact, it is a waste of taxpayers' money. The officers could carry out their routine duties instead of being deployed for the campaign.

The television sets, refrigerators, computers and furniture may be worthless due to their conditions at the time of seizure.

It is also illegal to seize something still under instalment or lease as they do not belong to the house owner.

Obviously, there must be a valid reason for house owners' failure to pay the assessment tax and it is therefore the job of the officer to resolve the matter on a case to case basis.

It is necessary for officers to visit homes to offer help instead of seizing properties and to see how best they could get these house owners to pay up.

Most owners of low-cost houses are living in poverty and to them, it is a lot of money to pay the assessment on a half-yearly basis.

Perhaps, it may be better if the tax is divided into 12 monthly payments and also to allow them to settle their arrears in instalments. This is a friendly gesture and should help bring about a win-win situation for both parties.

* Lau Bing is a community activist and writer in Subang Jaya, Selangor.