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KUALA LUMPUR: The Temporary Measures for Government Financing (Covid-19) Bill was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat here to pave the way to set up a RM45bil fund for economic stimulus packages.

Deputy Finance Minister Mohd Shahar Abdullah (pic) tabled the Bill for first reading and it is expected to be passed during the present Dewan Rakyat meeting.

The Bill, once passed, will operate retrospectively beginning Feb 27 this year and will be in force till Dec 31,2022.

It will allow an increase in government borrowing from the current permissible statutory level under the Loan (Local) Act.

The proposed Bill will also raise the ceiling of the total amount the government is allowed to receive under the Government Funding Act to set up the fund.

Currently, the government is permitted to raise and receive up to 55% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The Bill, if passed, will raise the ceiling to 60% of the GDP and allow the government to increase its borrowings.

On July 15, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said Malaysia's outstanding public debt ratio at the end of June was at 53.2%.

He warned that the country's debt level could hit the statutory limit of 55% by the end of the year following implementation of economic stimulus packages to "save lives, protect livelihoods and stimulate the economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic".

The government has announced a total of four economic stimulus packages since Feb 27 this year.

A total of RM16.8bil of the RM45bil Covid-19 Fund will be used for wage subsidy, job retention, workers hiring and training assistance programme.

The fund allocation also includes Bantuan Perihatin Nasional (RM11.2bil), small scale projects (RM4bil), skills and training (RM2bil), Penjana SME financing (RM2bil), and Prihatin SME grant (1.9bil).

The fund will also be used for microcredit loans (RM1bil), Health Ministry (RM1bil), food security (RM1bil), special allowance for frontliners (RM1bil), Penjana national fund (RM600mil), ePenjana (RM520mil), electricity bills (RM500mil), Bantuan Sara Hidup (RM300mil) and higher education student assistance (RM600mil).

Also coming under the fund are bumiputra relief financing (RM200mil), MY30 subsidy (RM200mil), assistance to affected commercial drivers (RM160mil), vulnerable groups (RM110mil), automation (RM100mil), MyCreative Venture (RM100mil) gig economy protection and training (RM75mil), E-Dagang for SMEs and micro entreprises (RM70mil) and Peka B40 (RM50mil).

The fund will also be used for `Shop Malaysia Online' (RM70mil), childcare and kindergartens (RM50mil, digital content (RM35mil), NGOs (RM25mil) digitisation of government delivery system (RM20mil), Cultural Economy Development Agency (RM150mil) and MyAssit SME (RM5mil).

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/08/06/covid-19-bill-tabled-to-set-up-rm45bil-fund-for-economic-stimulus-packages