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Guan Eng makes 11th-hour appeal for Anwar to ensure ‘last budget’ counts
Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng has made a last-minute appeal to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to deliver meaningful tax relief in Budget 2027, calling it the government’s final opportunity for voters to feel its benefits before the next general election.
The former finance minister’s appeal comes ahead of Anwar tabling Budget 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat tomorrow.
“To be very frank, this is the...
Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng has made a last-minute appeal to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to deliver meaningful tax relief in Budget 2027, calling it the government’s final opportunity for voters to feel its benefits before the next general election.
The former finance minister’s appeal comes ahead of Anwar tabling Budget 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat tomorrow.
“To be very frank, this is the last budget we can make to make the people feel the budget,” Lim told Malaysiakini in Parliament today.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Anwar said economic growth alone was insufficient while people continued to face cost-of-living pressures, pledging that Budget 2027 would ease their burdens and ensure development benefits were felt more equitably.
/file/publisher-c1a3f893382d2b2f8a9aa22a654d9c97/2023/10/fddf56d1ab22975b4408e2101ff960f3.jpg "Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim arrives at Parliament budget 2024 generic 131023 with book")
Lim said that while Anwar would still table Budget 2028, there would be insufficient time for its measures to take effect before the next general election.
“Anwar will be delivering the Budget 2028, but he won’t have enough time for the people to feel the benefit because it will be elections by the time.
“So this is the final budget. Either you make it, or you don’t,” he stressed.
The current Parliament first sat on Dec 19, 2022, and its five-year term ends in December 2027.
A general election must be held within 60 days of Parliament being dissolved, meaning voters must go to the polls by February 2028 unless an election is called earlier.
The federal budget is tabled annually in the Dewan Rakyat, usually during Parliament’s third and final meeting of the year, which typically begins in October.
Tax relief
Lim also urged Anwar to raise personal income tax relief from RM9,000 to RM12,000, increase education and healthcare tax relief by RM1,000 each, and remove the eight percent service tax imposed on private old folks’ homes.
“What we can do to make the people feel the benefit of the budget is to increase the personal tax relief from the current RM9,000 to RM12,000.
“It has not been increased since 2010, 17 years already. Time has come for it to be increased by RM3,000 based on inflation over the last 17 years,” he said.
He also called for tax relief for those caring for elderly parents by scrapping the service tax, which he said had been imposed on private old folks’ homes since September.
Lim said the proposals had already been conveyed to Anwar, but he was making a “last-ditch effort” to secure assistance for individual taxpayers after focusing on businesses yesterday.
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Budget for savings and the environment. For the coming budget, I hope the government will consider the following proposals for reducing cost of living whilst also helping the environment. 1) Tax on parcel delivery. Impose a tax of RM2 for every parcel delivered by e-commerce distant sales covering business-to-consumer sales. This should be applicable to all businesses whether operating locally or abroad and having distance selling turnover exceeding RM1 Million annually. The cost will be added to the order of the consumer and is paid by the business to the tax authorities. It should not be imposed on business-to- business sales or food delivery. Currently there is a major problem of some consumers buying online products impulsively and frivolously causing financial difficulties. There is also the problem of plastic packaging, tape and boxes used in the packaging resulting in proper disposal and environmental issues. Over-consumption which causes unsustainable use of resources can be curtailed when buying is reduced. The presence of e-commerce and parcel delivery has negatively affected small brick-mortar shops in local communities. If the amount of e-commerce for clothing, electronic equipment, stationary, shoes, books, etc., is reduced, then small business which can generate a bigger multiplier effect on local communities stand a better chance of continuance. 2) Tax relief on unused quota of Budi Madani Provide a tax relief of 20 sen per liter of the unused fuel quota of Budi Madani in each taxpayer’s annual income tax return. The amount of unused quota per annum can be easily worked out since the remaining monthly quota is advised at each fill-up. This will encourage vehicle owners to cut out unnecessary journeys helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Use of public transport can be boosted too. The government saves too by not having to subsidize more unused quota. 3) Free public transport. Malaysians under 24 and those over 60 years should be entitled to free public transport. As our young workforce struggles with low starting salaries, increased cost of living and high cost of owning and maintaining a vehicle, free public transport will be a boon. It may also encourage them to continue use of public transport in later years and help lessen air pollution and our nation’s reliance and payment of imported fossil fuel. Seniors are a growing demographic and many struggle with low savings and increased cost of living and health costs. With free public transport, an important part of mobility, costs, and social interaction can be enhanced and make healthy active aging a better possibility. The above proposals have a new revenue collection base of tax on parcel delivery which can be used to offset the expenditure of tax relief on unused fuel quota and free public transport. They provide cost savings and improve quality of life for every person. The returns can be manifold financially and environmentally not just for the present generation but for future generations as well.
It's pointless YB Lim, Rakyat already 'naik muak' dengan kerajaan ini....
Where are the DAP ministers in the cabinet and deputy ministers in the Madani government? They should be the ones giving the inputs to the PM/FM. Why should Guan Eng make a press conference to urge the PM/FM to do what is needed when it should be the ministers and deputies.
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