Kota Kinabalu: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Central Vice President Sim Fui said Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) should expand its own revenue sources before introducing new charges.
The LDP Api-Api Division Chairman said he understands the financial constraints faced by DBKK.
He said the council should first recover revenue already owed to it and make better use of its existing assets.
He suggested a one-off settlement incentive or instalment scheme for property owners with long-standing assessment rate arrears.
This could include partial waivers of late-payment penalties for a limited period.
He said it would not encourage people to avoid payment but would bring defaulters back into the system.
Sim also proposed that DBKK inventory its land, buildings and parking facilities to find idle or underused assets.
Where public use is not affected, these could be leased out or used for temporary parking, weekend markets, food spaces or event venues.
He said suitable sections of pedestrian bridges, bus stops and other municipal facilities could be leased as regulated advertising spaces, with standard rates and guidelines to prevent visual clutter.
He also proposed an “Adopt the City” scheme, where companies help improve parks, public toilets and bus stops in return for controlled branding.
Sim said DBKK should also earn revenue from major concerts, sporting events and cultural programmes through venue income, parking, advertising and stalls.
“Instead of thinking about how to collect another RM10 or RM20 from the people, we should think about how these existing assets can be made to generate revenue. People are already facing cost-of-living pressures.
“If DBKK needs to increase its revenue, its first thought should not be how to collect more money from the people,” he said.
He said stronger internal revenue would reduce DBKK’s reliance on government allocations and allow more spending on roads, drainage, traffic management and public toilets.
