SUCCC hails RM12 mln for Chinese schools
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce (SUCCC) president Tan Sri Andrew Liew Sui Fatt yesterday welcomed the various people-centric policies and measures to boost economic growth in Budget 2019.
He said the budget had delivered good news to the agriculture and plantation industry with the reduction of extension levy for foreign workers who had served 10 years or more, from RM10,000 to RM3,500 per worker per annum.
Liew, who is also the vice president of The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Malaysia (Acccim), said the lower extension levy for foreign workers would ease the pressure caused by the shortage of workers and decline in prices of agricultural commodities in the agriculture and plantation industry.
He said the 2019 budget, themed ‘A Resurgent Malaysia, A Dynamic Economy, A Prosperous Society’, tabled by the Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng in parliament last Friday was a comprehensive and allencompassing budget.
Despite the financial and debt issues, he said the federal government had allocated RM315.5 billion for the budget, RM54.7 billion of which was for development expenditure.
“This reflects the government’s commitment to enhance the development and strengthen our economy.”
Additionally, Liew hailed the RM12 million allocation for independent Chinese secondary schools and RM15 million for conforming schools, which reflected the government’s support and recognition towards Chinese education. “We hope that the government will deliver good news on the recognition of Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) in the near future.” At the same time, he was pleased to see the corporate income tax rate for taxable income of up to RM500,000 and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with less than RM2.5 million in paid up capital to be reduced from 18 per cent to 17 per cent. He said the federal budget had also included initiatives to assist the lower-income citizens, including financial aid for poor households, RM 120 for children 18 years old and below, EPF i-SURI contribution for housewives, fuel subsidy for cars and motorcycles, increase of minimum wage nationwide, implementation of the Employment Insurance System (EIS), financial assistance for retirees and monthly passes for public transportation users.
Liew also welcomed Lim’s assurance that the government would not neglect Sabah’s development and to continue to implement the Pan Borneo Highway project in Sabah and Sarawak.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Shafie Apdal in his recent statement said Sabah still received a raise in the 2019 budget from RM4.13 billion previously to RM 5 billion in spite of the present challenging economy and limited financial resources.
With the increase in federal funding, Liew believed that the state government led by Shafie would work on upgrading the basic infrastructure in Sabah, such as roads, water and electricity supply and healthcare facilities.
In addition, he is confident that the state’s tourism industry will be able to take a major leap forward with the sharing of 50 per cent proceeds on tourism tax with the respective states to encourage tourism activities.
“With more government allocation, Sabah can upgrade our tourism facilities and ensure our tourism industry continues to grow and prosper.”