budget

so what do you think of the budget? are you satisfied with it? do you think more should be done for ____ ? (fill in the blank).

for some brief highlights of the budget, go to bernama, sun2surf or the star.

full text of the PM’s budget speech.

it’s very good to hear that cigarette tax had been incresed to 13%, while liquor to 9%. let smokers feel the pinch of buying cigarettes. gotta admit this would not help much… i mean for the smokers to kick their habit.

i notice that (at the star’s link – last 2 points) sabah state has been allocated RM2.3 bil. ‘to build roads, and improve water and electricity supply as well as education and health services ‘, while sarawak got RM2 bil. ‘to provide better road, airports and education’.

hmm… remember my previous blog on some states wallowing in poverty? sabah and sarawak were named as one of the 7 states and i mentioned in my blog that the gomen seems to neglect these 2 states that are not in peninsular malaysia. well, looks like now they realise, these 2 states ought to be developed with the sum of RM2 bil. promised to them. let’s see what will happen.

this point strike me:
a health tourism unit will be established under the ministry of health to improve the quality of health services to attract more foreigners to seek private health services in malaysia.

improve quality of health services, i can buy that… but to attract more foreigners to seek private health services in our country? huh? the private health services are meant for foreigners?

another point on upgrading rural infrastructure:
small bridges needed urgently will be built in every parliamentary constituency. bumi contractors to do the job.

bumi contractors?

this point:
e-payment transactions using credit cards at counters and online will be implemented at the royal malaysia police force (PDRM), road transport department, immigration department and EPF as well as hospitals.

wow! the gomen is going high tech? whatever took them so long? or… er… will there be a fear of ‘mesin rosak’?

i notice that the budget this year has no goodies for the small retailiers.