JEDDAH, 18 December 2002 — The resident community in Saudia City is being forced to pay an additional SR500 in their monthly rent if they have any rooms in their homes deemed “unused” by the Saudia authorities.
A notice letter, obtained by Arab News, has been sent to the mostly Western residents of the compound.
It states that those who do not pay the SR500 voluntarily will have the money automatically deducted from their monthly salaries.
An English version of the notice tells the residents to tick a box if they agree to the extra deduction, or to tick a second box if they would prefer to move. No third option was offered.
“This is ludicrous,” said a resident of Saudia, who spoke with Arab News yesterday on condition of anonymity.
“I’ve lived in this house for more than 10 years and have invested over SR40,000 in it during that period. Who’s going to compensate me for all that?”
What is also angering Saudia residents is the strain that this situation has put on families so near to the Christmas holidays.
“My children grew up in this house, in a country that is family-oriented,” said another resident, who also refused to give his identity.
“How can they do this to people, without any consideration for their family situation?”
What appears to be of particular concern to the expatriate community at Saudia City is that this rent increase comes at a time when a move to introduce income tax on expatriates is also being discussed by the Shoura Council.
“If the proposed tax is implemented, along with the additional monthly housing costs, our incomes will revert to what they were in the early 1990s. What incentive will I have to stay if that’s the case?” the Westerner continued.
“As some of the departments at Saudia are understaffed, this is not a good time to be introducing extra financial burdens on employees who are still here,” he added.
Arab News telephoned officials at the Housing Department at Saudia City repeatedly yesterday, but was told that nobody was available for comment. — Mohammed Alkhereiji
