A Housing Board resident who stopped paying service and conservancy charges because she was unhappy with Nee Soon Town Council found herself in court over unpaid bills amounting to $565.50.Despite getting letters of demand, she stopped paying the charges because the town council did not carry out her wishes to dispose of shoes and potted plants that her neighbours had placed along the common corridor.
This means Chan would be found guilty of the offence as long as the prosecution could show that she refused to pay the charges. Her state of mind at the time of the offence need not be proved. “If residents may refuse to pay conservancy and service charges based on their own assessment of whether the town council has served their personal interests satisfactorily, it will create problems which affect the community as a whole,” said Judge Wong.
The town council’s assistant general manager, Mr Eddie Ng, testified during the trial that because no fire safety regulations had been contravened, the town council was unable to take any action against the neighbours. She later heard grassroots committee members speaking to her neighbours, which made her upset because she did not know why they were getting involved in the dispute.
She told the court that she started complaining about “every small thing” to the Housing Board after that, as she wanted the “harassment” to stop.
Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)