Would any company continue to give 'bonuses' or 'raya bonuses' ...raya open houses... when they are in debt - RM1.5 Trillion?
The nation’s debts and liabilities stand at about RM1.5 trillion, or 82% of the gross domestic product, Anwar said during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat. That includes 1MDB’s debt of RM18.2 billion, he said.
Sadly, PM Anwar is continuing with bonuses, toll free during Raya(meaning government has to pay toll operators to get toll-free...) . If Anwar and government managed to convince Malaysia's toll operators to not collect toll for the Raya period, that would have been Great... But now, it seems that the government may have paid these toll operators 'RM93 million' to not collect tolls for the said number of days.
The government has to bear about RM93mil to implement the free ‘Rahmah’ toll initiative for four days from today, said Deputy Finance Minister I Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
What about Malaysians that use busses, trains, taxis, Grab - will the price the customer pay for these transportation modes also be reduced - after all, they(bus/taxi/grab/etc) will not have to pay for toll for a few days but the people pay same rates? . Someone has also raised the issue with flight costs.. Car owners mostly are not from B40.
Special allocation to assist B40 or the poor during this difficult times is reasonable - but for public officers? B4, the public sector workers earned less compared to those in the private sector... But no more is this the case, Public officers today have not only high wages, but the more secured regular employment and also pension(at the rate of 50-60% of their last drawn salary until they die, and thereafter their spouse continue receiving pensions at a slightly lower rate until they die.
Comparatively, workers in private sector wages are low... And they do not in most cases have employment security - many are on yearly contracts, which may not be renewed. It is more and more difficult for older workers to find new employment... as employers prefer younger workers or migrant workers (being more easily controlled, even exploited). The Minister has the power to require all workers to be Regular employees until retirement - no more short-term contract employees. No more 'outsourced workers' at workplaces.
Political Appointments to government agencies and GLCs continue - with possibly still the 'same high salary/allowance'... Where is the move to reduce salary/allowance? If public officers are appointed instead, money will be saved as they already receive government salary - so no need for extra salary/allowance????
If PM Anwar simply follows Najib's ways, the worry is that debts will only increase.
Remember with increased debts, there is annually money utilized just to 'service debts' - if no debt, then this money can be used for improving benefits for the people...
How is Anwar going to reduce debts? Reduce government spending?
MP's benefits - will if with regard the '4 cars', as highlighted b4 in the Zuraidah's issue be removed? OTHER benefits, all of which involves government spending... Has these benefits been removed?
Zuraida also stressed that the vehicles were bought at nearly 50 percent discount using facilities provided to all federal lawmakers."Every MP will get one AP (approved permit) for each term. We were also given a quota for one vehicle with reduced excise duty. The other facility is a RM100,000 loan to buy a car."So if I don't use these facilities, am I not stupid? In two-terms I have (bought) six cars," Zuraida said,..PKR's Zuraida Kamaruddin reveals disturbing concerns ...which PKR,DAP,PAS ...must explain?
Is PM Anwar Ibrahim being 'most irresponsible' with the management of Malaysia...Is he on the same course to 'appease Malaysians' as Najib? No bother about getting deeper into debt... Let the future generations worry about the consequences. Now we make voters HAPPY - give them many 'goodies'...Are Malaysians OK with this?
He said the free Rahmah toll initiative, applicable on 13 highways and for all classes of vehicles, was one of Madani's aspirations to reduce the cost of living for the people.
Ahmad said the amount was a preliminary estimate calculated by the National Budget Office to be paid to the concessionaires involved.
"Think of it as ‘duit raya’...to give highway users the opportunity to return to their hometowns or visit family members in conjunction with Aidilfitri," he said after handing over donations to 30 asnaf at the Malaysian Tax Academy here Wednesday (April 19).
Also present was Sarawak Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) director Vijayen Nagalingham.
In another development, Ahmad said the Sarawak LHDN recorded a total of RM6.6bil in tax collection last year.
"This year we are targeting a tax collection of RM6.8bil,” he added. - Bernama, Star, 19/4/2022
Malaysia to cut subsidies to manage ballooning debt, says Anwar
The prime minister says the government will not impose new, broad-based consumption taxes.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says good governance will be key to managing the nation’s debts. (Bernama pic)KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will tackle its rising debt levels through subsidy reduction and good governance instead of imposing new, broad-based consumption taxes, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said today.
The nation’s debts and liabilities stand at about RM1.5 trillion, or 82% of the gross domestic product, Anwar said during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat. That includes 1MDB’s debt of RM18.2 billion, he said.
“The steps we are taking to manage this, firstly, is to improve governance,” he said. “Some of the billion ringgit spending lost was because of weak management (and) leakages, which caused debts to be higher than the economy’s growth.”
Anwar said the government has no plans to reintroduce the goods and services tax, which was abolished by the Dr Mahathir Mohamad administration in 2018. Instead, it would continue to lower subsidies for the rich and review public spending without burdening the poor, he said, pointing to the adjustments in electricity tariffs announced in December.
Malaysia, which runs Southeast Asia’s widest fiscal deficit after the Philippines, has seen its budget strained by the cost of keeping essentials at below-market prices. Government subsidies were forecast to reach a record RM80 billion in 2022, with concessions on fuels and cooking gas alone projected to account for about half the amount.
Anwar, who doubles as the finance minister, is set to table the
revised 2023 budget in Parliament on Feb 24, and has been preaching
fiscal prudence as Malaysia stares down still-elevated debt levels in
the wake of a Covid-era spending drive. - FMT, 14/2/2022
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