Playing slot machines in Sabah to cost more next year

KOTA KINABALU: It will cost more to play slot machines in Sabah next year as taxes for such activities are set to increase.

The state government is pro– posing a tax hike from 10% to 15% and the move is expected to bring in some RM20mil to its coffers.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman said the move, effective Jan 1 next year, was in line with the current sales tax on lottery tickets.

In tabling the 2018 state budget at the state legislative assembly, Musa said the RM60mil from the sales tax of lottery tickets was part of the projected RM4.169bil revenue for Sabah.

He said the state government was projected to spend some RM4.104bil in its supply expenditure.

“We will be spending just over RM1bil for development expenditure next year.

“The state government will set aside RM838mil while the remaining RM251mil will come from the Federal Government,” he told reporters yesterday.

Musa said more than a third of Sabah’s revenue, totalling some RM1.3bil for next year, was from petroleum royalties.

He said the royalties payment also made up the bulk of the state’s revenue this year with an amount of RM1.2bil, exceeding the original estimate of RM985mil.

“The next big chunk of revenue next year is from crude palm oil tax, projected to reach RM936mil,” he said.

Musa said the state was also banking on its agencies and government- linked companies to contribute in the form of interest and investment returns to the tune of RM453mil.

On expenditure, he said some RM287mil had been allocated to the Public Works Department to carry out projects such as construction and upgrading of key roads in Kota Kinabalu and Penampang.

Musa said a comprehensive study would also be carried out to address traffic congestion around critical areas in the state capital, such as Penampang, Putatan, Likas and Sulaman.

In another development, Musa said the state would be embarking on preserving historical buildings that were at least 50 years old.

These include Turnbull Hall at Sabah College, which was named after Sir Roland Evelyn Turnbull, the second last British governor in North Borneo during the colonial administration.

Other buildings include Kent College in Tuaran, the oldest teachers’ training college in the state that was built in 1952, and the former Wisma Radio Sabah, along Jalan Tuaran here, that was once used as the secretariat for the Cobbold Commission in 1962 before the declaration of the formation of Malaysia.

Musa said Wisma Kewangan, formerly known as the Secretariat Building, built in 1955, would also be preserved as it served as the venue for the first state legislative assembly, as well as Cabinet meetings.