KUCHING: Minister in Chief Minister’s Department (Integrity and Ombudsman), Datuk Talib Zulpilip hopes Budget 2021 will help the business community, who are hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, through the extension of loan moratorium, tax relief and assistance with wages.
He also hopes the elderly and pensioners will be taken care of through the extension of assistance.
“The B40 is another group hit hard by the pandemic and its consequences. The assistance must be re-examined and revamped for them,” he added.
Talib also hopes the budget will not overlook civil servants.
“The civil servants must not be forgotten as they assisted in the gathering of the data, and assisted the minister to come up with the budget,” he added.
The budget will be tabled by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Nov 6.
Talib also welcomed the announcement by Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul that Budget 2021 would be bigger than Budget 2020.
Zafrul said the federal government intended to spend more to aid economy recovery and that it would continue to fund development projects to create job opportunities and big economic spill over.
Said Talib: “This is no ordinary time. The country is faced with twin problem of Covid-19 and its consequences on the economy. Perhaps no one knows the actual magnitude of the problem to be frank, but within that constraint, we have to take action.
“But I am confident those who are involved in drawing up the budget will take into account the opinions of various groups such as the business community through various Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Associations, interest groups, the academic community, civil servants and so on,” he told New Sarawak Tribune on Monday (Nov 2).
