Thirachai presses for long-delayed property projects
Finance Minister Thirachai Phuvanat-naranubala has pledged to accelerate long-delayed property projects run by the Treasury Department.
Meanwhile assessed values of land affected by the floods or located in floodways will not change next year, but average land appraisals will increase by about 20 per cent, the department says.
The multibillion-baht projects under the department’s purview include a real-estate venture at Mo Chit BTS Skytrain terminal, a five-star hotel beside the Chao Phraya River, a convention centre in Phuket, and government office buildings on Phaholyothin Road in Bangkok.
“Some of these projects have been delayed for 18 years,” Thirachai told a news conference yesterday. “I don’t want them getting stuck any longer.”
The department must report to him on the progress of these projects every few weeks, he said.
Naris Chaiyasoot, director-general of the Treasury Department, said he had proposed to Cabinet that they implement the Mo Chit project, which is worth about Bt20 billion including commercial and residential units.
Thirachai also wants the department to put in place effective measures to prevent people unlawfully occupying lands under its management. He said the department should take into account commercial benefits as well as social aspects.
The department continues to take back land plots currently occupied by state agencies, particularly the Army, which does not fully utilise them, he said.
Regarding appraisal values, those of land flooded or located in floodways will remain unchanged next year. These lands extend from Chiang Mai to Greater Bangkok, according to the department.
The Treasury Department will next year announce new land appraisals, averaging 20 per cent higher nationwide, on which to base tax collection. Land values in Bangkok will go up 17 per cent on average, while land along Rajdamri Road in the capital will skyrocket by 50-60 per cent.
Naris said the department would propose a master plan on how to manage government lands and other assets to the finance minister in February.
He conceded his department had not yet completed a database necessary for better management of these assets, such as updates on the environment surrounding lands and laws related to land use.
Naris also promised to improve the management of Dhanarak Asset Development Co, the Treasury Department’s property arm.
