Negeri Sembilan presents RM550 million budget

 

Negeri Sembilan’s 2023 budget covers social development, agriculture, infrastructure, spirituality, administration and tourism. (Bernama pic)

SEREMBAN: The Negeri Sembilan government presented its 2023 budget amounting to RM550 million with an estimated revenue of RM450 million and a development budget of RM130 million.

The menteri besar, Aminuddin Harun, said the budget covered social development, agriculture, infrastructure, spirituality, administration and tourism.

“The proposed budget is a deficit budget of RM100 million. Even though it is the third year of presenting a budget in deficit, it was done in a targeted manner and is still within the capacity of the state’s cash reserves,” he told the state assembly.

“This deficit budget is also an intervention by the state government in stimulating the domestic economy based on the developed Input-Output model,” he said in tabling the budget.

Tax revenue is expected to contribute as much as RM159.84 million (35.52%) while non-tax revenue is estimated at RM227.96 million (50.66%), non-revenue receipts are RM62.20 million (13.82%).

Aminuddin said the revenue collection performance has increased with the highest collection recorded in 2019 amounting to RM556.44 million while investment inflows exceed RM5 billion every year from 2019 to 2021.

In addition, he said a total of 64 initiatives would be implemented: 22 are new initiatives and 42 existing initiatives, with allocations totalling RM107 million including RM9.05 million in a food supply guarantee and a RM15.7 million allocation for the Ekonomi Rakyat programme.

“The education sector is allocated RM18.68 million, welfare maintains seven initiatives (RM2.74 million), community empowerment (RM36.68 million) and youth and women (RM6.2 million),” he said.

Payout of RM2,500 or more for civil servants

The state government also announced a special financial assistance of one-and-a-half months’ salary or a minimum of RM2,500, to approximately 5,599 civil servants in the state which will be paid in early January and the first week of April next year.

He said it was a sign of appreciation for the services provided by civil servants in improving government administration and always being committed to shouldering their respective responsibilities.

“We faced a difficult year earlier due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Even when faced with the risk of infection, civil servants remained steadfast in fulfilling their duties for the sake of the people’s well-being,” he said.

Aminuddin said state revenue collected up to noon yesterday amounted to RM444 million or 102.78%, which is more than the RM100 million collection for the same period last year. He described it as a great and proudful achievement. - FMT