Budget 2015...

Bajet 2015 tidak tangani isu rasuah, ketirisan...

Anwar Ibrahim mempersoalkan Bajet 2015 yang telah dibentangkan oleh Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Menurutnya, sewaktu pembentangan, Najib langsung tidak menyatakan cara-cara dan langkah bagi mengatasi masalah kebocoran, ketirisan, rasuah dan cara untuk melakukan tender secara terbuka terhadap beberapa projek mega.

“Perkara tersebut langsung tidak disentuh, bahkan jika tidak dibendung akan menyebabkan kos barangan meningkat secara tidak langsung,” katanya sewaktu ditemui media di lobi Parlimen selepas selesai pembentangan Bajet 2015.

Anwar yang juga merupakan Ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh turut menyatakan jika tidak dicegah, ia juga akan menyebakan taraf hidup rakyat semakin meningkat ditambah pula dengan peningkatan harga minyak.

Katanya lagi, mengenai Cukai Barangan dan Perkhidmatan (GST), ia bukan sahaja soal pengecualian semata-mata, tetapi dengan perlaksanaan GST pada April tahun hadapan pastinya akan meningkatan harga barangan.

“Ia adalah satu pendekatan yang pastinya akan meningkatkan harga barangan,” ujarnya lagi.

Sebelum ini, sewaktu pembentangan Bajet 2015, Najib telah mengumumkan penjualan runcit minyak petrol RON95, diesel dan gas petroleum cecair (LPG) diberikan pelepasan GST.

“Kini, lebih RM 21 billion setahun diperuntukkan untuk membiayai subsidi petrol RON95, diesel dan gas memasak LPG.

“Kesannya, peruntukan subsidi telah meningkat lebih 14 kali ganda daripada RM1.65 billion tahun 2002 kepada RM23.5 billion tahun 2013, semata-mata untuk mengekalkan harga runcit petrol yang rendah. 

“Ini disebabkan peningkatan jumlah kenderaan daripada 13.6 juta unit pada 2008 kepada 23.7 juta unit pada 2013,” katanya.- fmt

Najib gagal jawab isu hutang 1MDB...

Ahli Parlimen Petaling Jaya Utara Tony Pua kecewa apabila Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak langsung tidak membangkitkan isu 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) dalam pembentangan Belanjawan 2015 petang tadi.

“Perdana Menteri gagal menyebut isu kritikal ini dalam pembentangannya. 1MDB langsung tidak disebut dalam Belanjawan.

“Ini sangat mengecewakan, memandangkan betapa serius defisit berterusan dan hutang kerajaan yang semakin bertambah,” katanya.

Menjelang pembentangan Belanjawan 2015, Pua sebelum ini mendesak Najib menjelaskan isu yang melanda badan pelaburan milik Kementerian Kewangan itu yang kini menanggung hutang RM36 bilion.

Baca sini,sini,sini, sini dan sini

Beliau juga mendedahkan dua anak syarikatnya iaitu 1MDB Energy (Langat) Sdn Bhd dan 1MDB Real Estate Sdn Bhd. yang gagal memfailkan penyata kewangan bagi tahun 2013, dengan masing-masing menanggung hutang RM2.8 bilion dan RM5.9 bilion.

Pengerusi DAP Selangor itu berkata, perbelanjaan yang tidak disemak dalam kira-kira rasmi kerajaan menyebabkan defisit rasmi belanjawan ‘kelihatan lebih rendah’, namun boleh memberikan kesan serius kepada sistem kewangan negara.

“Kesannya tentu sekali boleh membinasa, ketika ada kejutan dari luar ke atas sistem kewangan negara,” katanya lagi.

Sehingga Jun 2014, hutang ditanggung negara meningkat kepada RM568.9 bilion, daripada RM539.9 bilion pada akhir Disember 2013, iaitu 52.8 peratus daripada Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK), menghampiri had maksima ditetapkan iaitu 55 peratus.

Walaupun angka itu sendiri sudah cukup membimbangkan, lebih merisaukan adalah hutang yang dijamin kerajaan melalui syarikat milik penuhnya seperti 1MDB, MRT Corp dan Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd

“Sepanjang lima tahun pentadbiran Najib, hutang yang dijamin kerajaan meningkat dengan cukup besar, daripada RM84.3 bilion pada tahun 2009 kepada RM157.5 bilion setakat Disember 2013.

“Ini lebih membimbangkan,” kata Pua. – Roketkini.com

Budget 2015 fails to address billion-ringgit leakages...

Budget 2015 failed to address the billions of ringgit in leakages by the government, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said, adding that this would have a dangerous effect on the economy as the public grappled with rising living costs.

Instead, Budget 2015 was peppered with the same announcements that had been repeated for the past six to seven years, said the de facto PKR chief.

"As usual, this budget repeated several earlier announcements. Like the pan-Borneo highway, that (has been repeated) for six or seven years," said Anwar when met at the Parliament lobby today.

"But the issue of rising costs that cannot be managed, the issue of rising fuel prices which I think is unreasonable given that global fuel prices are down, the issue of leakage, wastage, no tenders in several big contracts, (all the factors) which cause prices to rise, were not touched.

"And I believe this will have a dangerous effect considering the tens of billions of ringgit in leakages that are not managed, coupled with the rise in prices (of goods) including petrol."

Earlier today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak tabled the Budget 2015, which he said would strike a balance between managing the "capital economy" and the "people's economy".

The budget allocated a total of RM273.9 billion, an increase of RM9.8 billion compared with the 2014 initial allocation.

Najib, who is also the finance minister, said the government was committed to lowering the deficit to 3% of gross domestic product in 2015 from 3.5% this year.

In a bid to offset rising living costs, including the recent subsidy slashes for the RON95 petrol and diesel, Najib said that cash handouts under the 1Malaysia's People's Aid programme (BR1M) would be raised by RM300 next year.

Najib said individual income taxes would also be cut by between 1 and 3 percentage points, while the goods and services tax (GST) that comes into effect in April was diluted.

RON95 petrol, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), as well as basic food items, such as bread, noodles, coffee and important medicine were exempted from GST.

But Anwar said that there were more issues regarding the GST that must be addressed, besides the exemption of certain goods.

"GST is not just a matter of exemption (of goods) but also a matter of approach that would surely raise the prices of goods," said Anwar.

He was also sceptical of Najib's announcement that the government wished to reach a deficit of 3%.

"They have hardly reached the target projection all these years."

Anwar said he would study the Budget over the weekend, and discuss it in detail on Monday.

Likewise, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the budget could not be considered people-centric as it had not addressed concerns over cronyism and corruption.

"What we are disappointed about is that there are no measures (to tackle) leakages, corruption and even in terms of fighting crime," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

"There is still no effort to make it a people-centric budget. How do you ensure the people's economy if you do not deal with the problems of cronyism and corruption?"

Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, said that it was not only Pakatan Rakyat leaders who were concerned about graft and abuse of funds, but also former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has been vocal about the massive debts and shadowy dealings of sovereign fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). – tmi

Businesses don’t buy PM's 'cheaper goods with GST'...

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today announced an expansion to the list of exempted items from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) during the tabling of Budget 2015 in Parliament.

The premier said with the abolition of the Sales and Services Tax (SST) coupled with this exemption, 532 out of 944 goods and services in te basket of goods in Consumer Price Index would go down by up to 4.1 percent.

Najib’s argument stems from the fact at the SST was at 10 percent while the GST is at six percent, leaving a four percent difference.

However, not everyone is convinced. Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia council member Koong Lin Loong said Najib’s argument is true in theory but GST would increase the overall operating costs of businesses.

As such, he said this would have an impact on the prices of goods.

“When the GST is implemented, the operating cost will increase which could be more than the four percent difference, therefore it is impossible that the prices of goods will decrease,” he said.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) deputy president Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman (left) said the fact that RON95 petrol, diesel as well as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was a relief but ordinary Malaysians are not out of the woods as the premier also revealed an upcoming revised subsidy scheme.

“Even RM5,000 a month income may not be enough for someone living in the city and they would be hardest hit if they are not included in the new subsidy scheme,” he said.

Furthermore, he said the government should release in detail 532 exempted items so that consumers can know that they are not being overcharged by businesses who would use GST as an excuse to hike prices.

‘Taxpayers not convinced GST well spent’

Najib may have appealed to businesses not to arbitrarily hike prices in his budget speech but Mohd Yusof said there needs to be more concrete steps in combating profiteering.

This, he said, would be crucial in helping to cushion the impact of GST that will come into force next year.

Meanwhile, Centre for Public Policy Studies chairperson Ramon Navaratnam (left) said the government needed to convince the rakyat that their tax money would be well spent in light of GST but fell short.

He pointed out that even though the government will earn more income with GST, development expenditure was only marginally increased from RM46.5 billion to RM50.5 billion.

“People would not be opposed to GST if they are convinced that the revenue gained will be put to good use but unfortunately the Auditor-General’s Report and corruption perception index showed we have been performing poorly,” he said, adding that these were not addressed in the Budget.

However, he acknowledged that the Budget was being constrained as the government has to deal with the deficit which is projected to fall to three percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Ramon added that the Putrajaya also needs to deal with the culture of handouts, even though he described the Budget as being “caring: to the poor.

This is amid a demand by the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) to hike the salary of civil servants up to 30 percent, which Najib in today’s Budget only promised to review.

Split views on handouts

“You can’t blame the civil servants for asking more because this is the psychology promoted by the government for a long now. They have developed a subsidy mentality.

“The only way to cure it is to insist on a new policy of higher competition, more meritocracy and reward for productivity and performance.”

The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) commended Najib for his austerity efforts but likewise criticised the continued handouts.

“This budget speech is not consistent in the sense that it started with trying to persuade the public on the need to reform our fiscal structures, but it went on to announce various spending ‘splurges’, with multiple populist subsidies and handouts,” it said in a statement.

However, Merdeka Centre director Ibrahim Suffian (right) said handouts, such as the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) which was increased from RM650 to RM950 are meant to cushion the subsidy cuts to fuel.

“It is a not-too-bad budget but meant to deal with the upcoming economic issues next year,” he said.

But Malay Economic Action Council (Mtem) research director Azlan Awang questioned whether the implementation of GST was worthwhile if a substantial part of it is to be given out as handouts.

“It’s a sweet budget but not structural enough, it’s all about handouts.

“There should be more focus on wages and household income with a consolidated plan to raise wages.

“At the moment, the rate of growth of goods and services outpaces the rate of wage growth,” he said.- mk

cheers.