What’s the plan for economic recovery, asks Anwar

 

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim highlights the budget’s ‘main weakness’. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has criticised the 2021 budget for failing to show the government’s plans to stimulate and drive the nation’s economic recovery.

Anwar said the lack of recovery plans was the budget’s main weakness. It also did not show concrete plans to resolve the unemployment situation and help workers who have recently been laid off.

“One-off payments of RM500 are not the answer. We also mentioned the loan moratorium previously, which I feel that the finance minister sides with the interests of banks rather than borrowers and the economy,” he said in a video today.

Anwar, who is Pakatan Harapan chairman, said several projections made in the budget were worrying, including the estimates for income and corporate tax, which were a mere RM4 billion reduction compared with 2019.

“It’s hard to accept these figures because many businesses are nearly bankrupt or facing losses or garnered small profits, except for some firms like Top Glove.”

He also questioned why the communications and multimedia ministry’s Special Affairs Department was being allocated RM80 million while the disabled and poor community received a much smaller allocation.

He said Putrajaya should be more transparent and state the facts about the budget, adding that the opposition will be raising these matters and figures in Parliament. - FMT