Monday, 29 April 2019
Thursday, 25 April 2019
Wednesday, 24 April 2019
Monday, 22 April 2019
Sunday, 21 April 2019
Thursday, 18 April 2019
Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Sunday, 14 April 2019
Friday, 12 April 2019
Tuesday, 9 April 2019
MPs raise concerns over proposed departure levy
KUALA LUMPUR: MPs from both sides of the divide raised their concerns over the proposed departure levy, when the bill was tabled for second reading today.
A number of them asked for the levy to be deferred, while others suggested that pilgrims and those who go overseas to work should be exempted.
Under the proposed departure levy, anyone who leaves the country will be charged RM20 if they are heading for another Asean member state and RM40 for other countries.
Hassan Abdul Karim (PH-Pasir Gudang) said while he understood the country needed an additional source of revenue, Muslims and non-Muslims who go on pilgrimage should be exempted from the levy.
“If this is agreed upon, I will support the levy,” he said.
Hassan said those who perform the haj will be affected the most. However, he said non-Muslims also go on pilgrimages.
“Since independence, Muslims who perform their umrah and haj have not been subjected to a levy. Why now?
“We have only been in government for a year. Is this the gift we give the people?” he asked.
He said an exemption for haj pilgrims will also ease the burden of Tabung Haji (TH), which is facing financial troubles.
During the tabling of Budget 2019, Putrajaya had proposed a departure levy on all air travellers leaving the country from June 1 to boost domestic tourism.
The departure levy would be on top of the RM73 passenger service charge (PSC) already imposed by airports.
Wong Hon Wai (PH-Bukit Bendera) raised the possibility of reciprocal action by other Asean countries should Malaysia impose the levy.
He said countries like Indonesia have already done away with their departure levies.
“How should we react when there is reciprocal action from other Asean countries?
“When we impose this levy, will other countries impose a similar levy on Malaysians leaving the country?” he asked.
Wong pointed out that travellers are paying a lot more on top of the price of their flight tickets, such as airport tax and Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) fees.
The imposition of a departure levy will impact travel, he said.
Urging Putrajaya to provide a detailed explanation “as the intention is very broad”, he said those living in the northern region often made weekend trips to Thailand by land.
Ahmad Maslan (BN-Pontian) proposed that exemptions be made for those travelling to Asean countries.
He said hundreds of people travelled to Singapore daily for work.
“I also ask for children to be exempted. Senior citizens, the disabled, Malaysian students studying overseas and those who perform the umrah and haj should also be exempted.
“The levy will have a negative effect on the tourism sector. I propose that it be deferred,” he said.
Hasbi Habibollah (GPS-Limbang), who also called for a deferment of the levy, said a big number of people cross the border from Sarawak to Brunei for various purposes, such as for family outings, business and tourism.
“If you impose this levy, I can assure you the people will be angry.
“Day after day, people make trips from Limbang and from Miri to Brunei to work. You need to factor this in,” he said.
Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh (PAS-Pasir Puteh) said the move to impose the departure levy was not appropriate.
“Other countries are already starting to abolish this tax, but here we are implementing it. It looks as though we are stopping Malaysians from going abroad,” he said.
The debate on the proposed levy will continue tomorrow.
Monday, 8 April 2019
Friday, 5 April 2019
Thursday, 4 April 2019
MQT 4-4-2019
04 APR 2019 / 15:08 H
KUALA LUMPUR: The government has no intention to amend the provisions under Section 60 (1) of the Bankruptcy Act (Amendment) 2017 (Act 1534).
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong (pix) said there are still provisions which can be used to assist a bankrupt to get out of bankruptcy, including obtaining a discharge certificate from the Director-General of Insolvency for cases under administration for five years or more, as stated in Section 33A of the Insolvency Act 1967.
“Bankrupts can also apply for a discharge (from bankruptcy) in court as stated in Sections 33 and 105 of the Insolvency Act 1967.
“Those who fall under the four categories, namely death, social guarantor, serious illness as verified by a government medical officer, and people with disabilities, can apply for a certificate of discharge as stipulated in Section 33B (2A) of the Insolvency Act 1067,” he said in response to a question from Wong Hon Wai (PH-Bukit Bendera) during the Minister’s Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat today.
Liew said eight amendments were made in the amendment to the Bankruptcy Act in 2017 that was enforced on Oct 6, 2017.
“Out of the eight amendments, only one came into effect retrospectively, that is Section 33B (2A) of the Insolvency Act 1967 (Act 360).
“The remaining amendments were prospective in nature, intended to balance the interests of both creditors and bankrupts. It also helps bankrupts to resolve their bankruptcy in the shortest possible period.
“For example, applying for an automatic discharge under Section 33C will open up a new avenue for a bankrupt to resolve his case in three years from the filing date of the Statement of Affairs.
“The prospective-oriented amendments also contained an implementation mechanism which is different from bankruptcy cases administered before the enforcement of the 2017 amendments. Therefore, the amendments made in 2017 cannot be enforced retrospectively, except for one provision mentioned earlier,” he added. — Bernama
Tuesday, 2 April 2019
121,000 commuters subscribe My100 travel passes
02 APR 2019 / 12:51 H.
Pix for representational purpose only.
KUALA LUMPUR: More than 121,000 commuters have purchased My100 unlimited monthly travel passes since its implementation earlier this year, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said ridership for rail services in the city has also increased by 9% for the first two months of the year as compared with the same period last year.
“As of March 29, the My100 travel passes have been subscribed by and benefited 121,303 unique users. In March alone, 87,349 users purchased the pass, and this number is expected to increase in the coming months.
“In terms of ridership for rail services, for the months of January and February 2019, we have a total 35.6 million users, as compared to 32.6 million for the same period in 2018. That’s an increase of 9%,” he said, here today.
He was responding to a question from Wong Hon Wai (PH-Bukit Bendera) on how much the ridership has increased since the implementation of the My100 and My50 travel passes on Jan 1, 2019.
Loke, however, did not provide any figures for the My50 travel pass subscriptions.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had, on Dec 1, 2019, launched the unlimited travel pass in a move to reduce the cost of living for the rakyat.
The My100 pass allows commuters to access unlimited ride for 30 days on all forms of RapidKL rail and road transport, including MRT, LRT, monorail, BRT Sunway, RapidKL buses and MRT feeder buses.
Meanwhile, Loke said the government was also considering introducing the travel passes to other states, with the My50 pass to be implemented in Penang as soon as July this year.
“In Penang, we will only introduce My50, which will cover Rapid Penang bus rides and Rapid Ferry, as there are currently no rail services there other than KTM.“
“As for other states, there are plans to introduce them in stages, but this will be subjected to the infrastructure in the states,” he adde
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