Budget 2023 - Part 1

 

This is not exactly the Budget yet. The Budget will be in Part 2.

To be fair there have been some positives lately.

1. Transport Minister Anthony Loke cancelling the need to display road tax tags on car windscreens is a positive. It should be extended to commercial vehicles as well. I hope this is a precursor  to completely abolishing road tax. Or restructure it - for example only cars above 200 HORSE POWER pay road tax.

2. The decision by the government to automatically grant citienship to babies born overseas to Malaysian mothers is a long overdue amendment. I hope there is a proper follow through with the lethargic "guardians" of the status quo in the Civil Service.  We do not want the government deciding on a policy but the Civil Service dragging their feet on implementing them. 

3. The decision to raise the minimum threshold for bankruptcy to RM50,000 is also a positive.  But this is not really a fully helpful solution. It would be better to allow people who have been declared bankrupt (at any threshold) to still be able to open bank accounts, possess passports to travel overseas, register new companies and businesses etc. The bankruptcy is tied to a man's creditors. But depriving a person from being able to open a bank account, use his passport, register new companies and businesses will simply deprive him of reorganising his life and moving on. Granted he had financial troubles but why cut off his oxygen as well?

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.