THE government collected $6.3 billion selling state land during the year ended March 31, up from $5.5 billion in the preceding year

THE government collected $6.3 billion selling state land during the year ended March 31, up from $5.5 billion in the preceding year - but still shy of the record $14 billion for the year ended March 31, 1998.

The bulk of the latest year’s bumper takings came from selling land to the private sector for a total of $3.55 billion, up from the previous year’s $3.3 billion, according to the Singapore Land Authority’s latest annual report.

The SLA also sold $2.75 billion of land to statutory boards such as Singapore Tourism Board, Sentosa Development Corporation and JTC Corp under public sector sales in the latest year, higher than the previous year’s $2.2 billion.

Rental collections for state land and properties (including Temporary Occupation Licence fees) amounted to $514.3 million for the year ended March 31, 2007, up from $387.3 million in the preceding year.

The SLA reported a 39 per cent increase in net surplus to $13.67 million, on the back of a 9.7 per cent improvement in total income to $88.6 million. Operating income from land sales agency fees as well as title registration and related fees went up 10 per cent.

To meet competing demands for space for office, business, educational and commercial uses during the past year, the SLA stepped up to meet increased demand for state properties. In January to September, 13 state properties were turned into dedicated office space to help ease the supply crunch in this market.

The occupancy rate of state properties managed by SLA rose to 86 per cent in the latest year, up from 82 per cent in the preceding year, while the utilisation rate of state land managed by the SLA rose to 77.8 per cent from 76 per cent previously.

As custodian of state land and properties, the SLA manages about 14,000 hectares of state land and about 5,000 state buildings that have been put to use as offices, education centres, restaurants, recreational, retail and hospitality space. Its stock of buildings includes about 700 colonial ‘black and white’ residential bungalows.

Source : Business Times - 4 Oct 2007