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Jun 17, 2010
'Only a few are written off'
PAP town councils reject Low's suggestion, saying they work hard to collect every cent
<!-- by line -->By Jeremy Au Yong, Teo Wan Gek & Andrea Ong
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A lift landing at a block in Hougang Avenue 3, built during Hougang town council's routine lift replacement exercise in 2001. Mr Low Thia Khiang, who runs the town council, had argued that lack of access to upgrading funds had hurt its performance in the Town Council Management Report released last Thursday. --ST FILE PHOTO
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A SNEAKING suspicion by Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang that PAP town councils were writing off arrears in service and conservancy charges (S&CC) was dispelled yesterday by the managers and MPs of those councils.
Seven of them told The Straits Times they write off only a tiny amount of unpaid S&CC, typically around 0.1 per cent.
Even then, it is only done in very special circumstances, like when a debtor is in jail or cannot be traced.
MP Zainudin Nordin, who chairs the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council, said his council worked hard to collect every cent.
'Even after a person has passed away, the liability is passed on to the next-of-kin. It is possible to collect these sums,' he said.
On Tuesday, Mr Low issued a statement implying that People's Action Party town councils could have written off bad debts to improve their arrears management scores in the recent Town Council Management Report (TCMR).
Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
'Only a few are written off'
PAP town councils reject Low's suggestion, saying they work hard to collect every cent
<!-- by line -->By Jeremy Au Yong, Teo Wan Gek & Andrea Ong
<!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar -->

<!-- story content : start -->
A SNEAKING suspicion by Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang that PAP town councils were writing off arrears in service and conservancy charges (S&CC) was dispelled yesterday by the managers and MPs of those councils.
Seven of them told The Straits Times they write off only a tiny amount of unpaid S&CC, typically around 0.1 per cent.
Even then, it is only done in very special circumstances, like when a debtor is in jail or cannot be traced.
MP Zainudin Nordin, who chairs the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council, said his council worked hard to collect every cent.
'Even after a person has passed away, the liability is passed on to the next-of-kin. It is possible to collect these sums,' he said.
On Tuesday, Mr Low issued a statement implying that People's Action Party town councils could have written off bad debts to improve their arrears management scores in the recent Town Council Management Report (TCMR).
Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.