{"id":82029,"date":"2026-09-04T05:49:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T21:49:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=82029"},"modified":"2026-09-04T05:49:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T21:49:59","slug":"us1-6-billion-levy-complicates-sale-of-singapore-land-by-malaysian-kings-son","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=82029","title":{"rendered":"US$1.6 billion levy complicates sale of Singapore land by Malaysian king\u2019s son"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<div datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1xdhyk6 ec74h0k0\">A Malaysian royal\u2019s plan to sell a tract of land in the heart of <a target=\"_self\" class=\"e1yy41x40 ef9u0v01 css-1ankfgb ecgc78b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/topics\/singapore?module=inline&amp;pgtype=article\" title=\"\" data-qa=\"BaseLink-renderAnchor-StyledAnchor\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-qa=\"Component-Text\" class=\"css-0 ef9u0v00\">Singapore<\/span><\/a> faces a complication: a tax bill that may exceed US$1 billion.<\/div>\n<div datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1xdhyk6 ec74h0k0\">A levy known as a land betterment charge has emerged as a sticking point in negotiations between some prospective buyers and the current owner, the eldest son of <a target=\"_self\" class=\"e1yy41x40 ef9u0v01 css-1ankfgb ecgc78b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/topics\/malaysia?module=inline&amp;pgtype=article\" title=\"\" data-qa=\"BaseLink-renderAnchor-StyledAnchor\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-qa=\"Component-Text\" class=\"css-0 ef9u0v00\">Malaysia<\/span><\/a>\u2019s billionaire king, according to people familiar with the matter. The owner wants any buyer to foot the bill, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.<\/div>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">The tax, imposed when the government gives planning permission or other approvals that increase the value of land, may run north of S$2 billion (US$1.6 billion), according to estimates by three local property analysts.<\/p>\n<div datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1xdhyk6 ec74h0k0\">It is a potential stumbling block for what may be one of Singapore\u2019s biggest-ever real estate deals. Tunku Ismail Ibrahim, son of <a target=\"_self\" class=\"e1yy41x40 ef9u0v01 css-1ankfgb ecgc78b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/topics\/sultan-ibrahim-iskandar?module=inline&amp;pgtype=article\" title=\"\" data-qa=\"BaseLink-renderAnchor-StyledAnchor\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-qa=\"Component-Text\" class=\"css-0 ef9u0v00\">Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar<\/span><\/a>, is seeking to sell 16.6 hectares (41 acres) of land, including a plot he obtained in a 2025 land swap with the city state\u2019s government that would enable any properties being built on his land to be further away from the Botanic Gardens, a Unesco World Heritage site.<\/div>\n<div datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1xdhyk6 ec74h0k0\">In March, Singapore\u2019s Urban Redevelopment Authority said Ismail had applied to develop the land for residential use, and the agency was proposing rezoning it to allow for development of mansions known as <a target=\"_self\" class=\"e1yy41x40 ef9u0v01 css-1ankfgb ecgc78b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/week-asia\/economics\/article\/3146543\/singapores-good-class-bungalows-home-choice-tech-tycoons-shi-xu?module=inline&amp;pgtype=article\" title=\"\" data-qa=\"BaseLink-renderAnchor-StyledAnchor\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-qa=\"Component-Text\" class=\"css-0 ef9u0v00\">good class bungalows<\/span><\/a> and low-rise housing.<\/div>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">A representative for Ismail, the crown prince and regent of Malaysia\u2019s southernmost state of Johor, declined to comment. The Singapore Land Authority, which administers the tax, said it does not comment on market speculation concerning landowners\u2019 intentions or potential private transactions.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">The tax would be payable by the land\u2019s owner at the time its development is approved, although owners can nominate one or more other parties to pay. The timing of any government approval for development is unclear.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/asia\/southeast-asia\/article\/3366217\/us16-billion-levy-complicates-sale-singapore-land-malaysian-kings-son\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Malaysian royal\u2019s plan to sell a tract of land in the heart of Singapore faces a complication: a tax bill that may exceed US$1&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":82030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=82029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82029\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/82030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=82029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=82029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=82029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}