KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — As Putrajaya prepares to table Budget 2018 this Friday with a theme of “Shaping the Future”, many Malaysians who are feeling the pinch are hoping for measures and aid that will help ease their burdens.

Here are some highlights of what Malaysians hope to see in Budget 2018:

Workers

Employees in both the private and public sectors felt the pressures of rising costs keenly, with the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) focusing particularly on seeking the government’s aid for the B40 and M40, respectively low- and middle-income groups, which it said were facing an “unhealthy income disparity” when compared to the country’s top-earners.

The MTUC, in its October 2 wishlist to the government, urged for the current minimum wage of RM1,000 (peninsular Malaysia) and RM920 (Sabah, Sarawak) for the private sector to be almost doubled to RM1,800.

It also proposed a RM5 billion revolving fund, to be provided the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) through the Malaysian Building Society Berhad (MBSB), for personal loans of up to RM10,000 for B40 and M40 employees at zero interest and 2 per cent interest, as well as a RM20 billion revolving fund by the government for zero-interest housing loans for the same groups.

In its July 20 wishlist to the government, the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) noted that the civil servants it represents are the backbone of the administration and catalysts of the private sector’s success, but said it found some to be still living below the poverty line.

While expressing gratitude for the government’s special financial assistance over the past four years, Cuepacs said civil servants had not received a bonus during the same period and would want one and a half months’ of bonus.

source :  Malay Mail Online