KUCHING: The emphasis of Budget 2015 is on reducing the burden of the people to mitigate the impact of the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) next April.
Assistant Housing Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the exemption of more than 500 essential goods from GST should lower the price of these items.
“The issue that was most obvious in the tabling of the Budget was to ease the people’s anxiety over the rise of essential goods in light to the introduction of GST from April next year.
“Exemption on items such as cooking oil, meat, eggs, flour, which are basic daily needs is good news and very encouraging. Budget 2015 is people oriented, focusing on their needs,” he told reporters at his home at Jalan Astana near here, when commenting on Budget 2015 tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday.
Abdul Karim, also Assistant Youth Development (Urban) Minister, was happy the bulk of allocations were to be channelled to developing public infrastructure such as roads, health facilities, water and electric supply.
He also highlighted the Youth Housing Scheme which will see household income eligibility of applicants increased to RM10,000. The programme is open to 20,000 units of houses on a first-come first-serve basis.
On top of this, successful applicants would also be provided with a monthly repayment subsidy of RM200 for the first two years.
“This programme would help young adults especially the newly-weds and those who just started working ease their cost of living,” he believed.
In addition, Abdul Karim was grateful that aid to fisherman through the RM250 monthly aid, repairing and building of houses under the fisherman housing project and village programme was extended.
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