Budget 2017 today
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is
also finance minister, is scheduled to table the much-anticipated 2017
Budget in the Dewan Rakyat today at 4pm.
The Budget is likely to focus on tackling the cost of living especially
in terms of housing, food and transportation, in line with the
government’s principle of “People First, Performance Now”.
Themed “Accelerating Growth, Ensuring Fiscal Prudence, Enhancing
Well-being of the Rakyat”, the 2017 Budget is expected to reveal a
number of measures to address the country’s economic challenges
following the weak external front.
With the ultimate goal of enhancing the people’s prosperity in a fair
and inclusive manner, it will also consist of a new approach to bolster
certain industries to face the global economic slowdown.
These industries have been affected by weak international trade,
coupled with Britain’s exit from the European Union, as well as, global
uncertainties contributed by lower prices of commodities such as crude
oil, gas, minerals, palm oil and rubber.
The Ministry of Finance had conducted many meetings with various
stakeholders to discuss issues and recommendations for the 2017 Budget,
as well as, invited the public to contribute ideas for the preparation
of the budget.
“The planning process for the 2017 Budget has taken several measures to
advance the economy with the aim of enhancing the people’s prosperity
in a fair and inclusive manner,” Najib told the Dewan Rakyat on Monday.
He pointed out that Malaysia recorded a Gross Domestic Product growth
of five per cent in 2015, which far exceeded that of Indonesia (4.8 per
cent), Thailand (2.8 per cent) and South Korea (2.6 per cent).
The economy grew 4.1 per cent in the first half of this year and is
forecast to register a growth of between 4.0 and 4.5 per cent in 2016.
Under the 2016 Budget, RM267.2 billion had been allocated compared with the revised RM260.7 billion in 2015.
On January 28 this year, the government restructured and recalibrated
the 2016 Budget but within the range of initiatives and allocation that
was approved by Parliament.
The 2017 Budget speech will be telecast live over Bernama News Channel
and Bernama Online Live Streaming, while the latest breaking news will
also be available on Bernama’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. — Bernama