Friday, August 29, 2008

Budget '09 - makes you feel better, lighter?

WAH! Quite a lot of goodies in the budget won't you say? I was asked this by a friend awhile ago. I didn't get to see the whole Budget speech by Finance Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, but there seems to be a consensus that the new budget offer some help to most people.

Some items I picked from the various websites:

+ 20-pack cigarettes to cost 60 sen more (this will make friends like Feroz, Bob, Dino, Ab and Joseph curse but they should not take this to heart because it's intended to make them more healthy!);

+ one-month bonus for civil servants with a minimum of RM1,000 (this is duit raya);

+ if you buy items from your company, you get to buy up to RM1,000 e year and your employer gets tax exempt (this is to help boost sales and help you save by buying internally);

+ if you work for the Government, and if you retire after serving 25 years, you get cash RM720 upon retirement (this is a token of appreciation, provided you are not caught for corruption. There was no mention about your efficiency though);

+ if you work for the Government, and if you buy a house, your repayment period will be extended from 25 years to 30 years (this means you pay less every month and you have a bit more money to spend. Banks will be happy because the longer the time to finish paying your loan, they will add a few more thousand ringgit to their income);

+ buses pay 50 per cent less on toll charges (hopefully they will pass on the benefit to passengers. This may look easy on paper but implementation...);

+ no more import duty on fertilisers and pesticides (on paper looks good for farmers but importers are creative people unless they are being closely monitored);

+ if you have mobile phones, Iphone included, and have fixed lines installed, and you use them on company business, stop worrying - your employers will foot the bill (about time too, provided you can differentiate calls for business and calls for love chats. Also, expect your bosses to want to go through your itemised billings);

+ and if I'm not mistaken, if you are a civil servant and your household income is less than RM3,000 a month, you get a subsidy of RM180 a month (Cuepacs should have no grounds for complaint but expect private sector unions to include this in their next negotiations for their new collective agreement).

Well, you have better ways of getting the full come sunrise. Happy shopping!

8 comments:

Akar Umbi said...

Off course lighter! Afford to buy lighter not cigarrete...

Anonymous said...

I sincerely think that Pak (Le)lah gave too much perks to governments servants. They have everything now bonus, cola, higher pay and even pension that can be passed to their wife or wives.Now, during Pak (Le)lahs' time their income is actually higher than most people in the private sector. But we still see inefficiency, tea breaks, coffee money and it takes months for one simple task such as moving a file to another department to be done.And most of them are at home by 6 o'clock when the rest of us in the private sector work our asses of just to get by. And quite a number dont even support the government. Tell me why are these ungrateful people are getting more and more when 60 percent of the working population is still underpaid and struggling to make end meets?

Penanak Nasik

Anonymous said...

Selamat Menyambut Hari Merdeka dan Selamat Menempuh Bulan Ramadhan Al-Mubarak...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0Vjb8UlDus

Anonymous said...

Many people in the private sector also go for coffee breaks. But most do it at Starbucks, etc. Govt servants can harly afford that, now especially. Many are still strong govt supporters too. Or else Putrajaya would be represented by PR. There are anti-govt people in the private sector also. And the telcos, banks, ASTRO, housing developers, car dealers, et al still have a lot to improve. And let's not even get started on the lawyers.

'Penanak Nasi' is just like the fox who labelled the grapes sour just because he cannot get them. My message: You should have quit your not-so-nice private sector job and joined the govt while you could. I did.

Mohd. Ramesh

Anonymous said...

Private sector workers take breaks? At Starbucks? Maybe some of them did but not as rampant as those in the government. And i assure you most of them did it on their on time and not on company time. Otherwise the company will fold and he wil lose his bread and butter or he can be sacked. But can the government sack its inefficient workers? How many people have the government sacked when we have been hearing everywhere about the inefficiency of the government servants? And remember; these inefficient governments servants once had a proposal tabled against them by the current KSN who wanted to give them VSS after being sacked. Dahlah tak effisyen, buang kerja dapat duit pulak tu. It will never happen in the private sector as it is profit based; no profit no money for operation; no operation then you will "close shop" its as simple as that.

You claimed the lawyers(huh??). telcos, Astro, etc. rest assured that they don't take that long time compared to the government to fix a problem. And if they do than its because there is no competition due to...TADAAA policies of the government.Mohd Ramesh, ask youself why did you quit your private sector job? Its because you can't stand the pressure working with the private sector and its such an easy job in the government right? And about supporting the opposition; i think the private sector has the option of choosing but government servants should support the government of the day. But what do they do? Komplen saja pandai. Come on lah... Mestilah mau kerja gomen tido pun dapat gaji apa...kan.

Penanak Nasik

Penanak Nasik

Anonymous said...

Dear Penanak Nasik,

Hahaha... I touched on a nerve there eh? Well sorry, and thank you, for not understanding my point. Pls refer to my previous comment. Yes, especially the one about the fox.

Anyway, I wish you a blessed Ramadhan and may you continue to be able to 'tanak nasik' for a long time to come.

Mohd. Ramesh

Anonymous said...

Komen penanak nasik pasal kakitangan awam sangat mendukacitakan. Nampak sangatlah anda tak suka dan tak faham dgn 'org gomen'. Staf kerajaan ni ada lebih 1 juta org. Memanglah akan ada yg tak elok. Samalah mcm org2 yg keje sektor swasta. tak semuanya baik kan. Laporan Ketua Audit Negara (org gomen jugak tu)pun mengakui telah banyak advancement dlm delivery oleh 'org gomen' tapi ye lah masih ada ruang utk penambahbaikan. Biasa la tu. Takkan kita nak mengaku benda yg tak betul kan. Lagipun posting Dato' ni cerita pasal budget goodies, yg juga dibuat dan dilaksanakan oleh 'org gomen' utk kebaikan semua. Janganlah kita jadi org yg tak tau mengenang budi pula kan.
Dah la lari topik, tak kenang budi, meracau tak tentu pasal pulak (fakta tak tepat). Mungkin betul jugak kata Mohd Ramesh pasal fox tu.

org gomen (sampai 58)

Anonymous said...

Nak mengenang budi apa bendanya. Korang ingat kerja gomen ni jadi tuhan ke sampai nak kenang budi. Kenang budi ni kalau tolong orang tak dapat apa kenanglah budi. Ini tidak; korang bekerja lepas tu tak semenggah pulak tu lagi nak suruh orang kenang budi. dapat gaji tinggi tek setimpal dengan produktiviti. Nak kenang budi konon. cakap macam orang takda otak. Kalau dr mahathir tu bolehlah kita nak kenang budi kalau takat orang gomen nak suruh kenang budi apasal pulak? pasal kerja sambil tido sampai menyusahkan rakyat, itu nak kenang budi. Boleh jalanlah kau. Kalau betul kau nak tahu apa beza kerja swasta dengan gomen; berhenti gomen lepas tu kerja swasta. Baru kau tahu apa itu makna kerja yang sebenarnya. Tak tahu macam mana aku melayan kerenah pegawai kerajaan ni. Macam sultan suruh buat kerja lebih sikit mula memberontak lepas tu result tah apa-apa. Ini yang kau nak suruh berterima kasih.

Penanak Nasik
Penanak Nasik