Budget 2017: A Budget for Startups & SMEs, Perhaps – GEC Business Review

BY FRED VICTOR.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has presented his eighth national budget speech 2017 on 21 October 2016, revealing total budget allocation which stands at RM260.8 billion (US62.3 billion). Consisting of budget RM214.8 billion for management, RM46 billion for development and RM2 billion for savings.

The entrepreneurship segment announced in Budget 2017 will certainly benefit the local startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) particularly the focus was given to SMEs with a new scheme that will provide a tax reduction by stages for the year of assessment 2017 and 2018, based on the company’s growth percentage in terms of income. Tax rate on chargeable income up to the first RM500,000 for all SMEs was reduced from 19% to 18% effective from the year of assessment 2017 is indeed a good news to many small businesses.

Indisputably, 97% of all businesses in the country were generated from the SME sector.

In my opinion, both emerging startups and SMEs are the next growth area for the country – the growth in terms of economy, technology and human capital. With the TPPA and opening of ASEAN markets, the timing now to support these businesses is simply right, inevitable perhaps.  

More forms of assistance for startups and SMEs are still needed such as loans and grants, knowingly not much measures are directed to assist local small businesses and budding entrepreneurs.

Below are some items that will be implemented in the coming year’s budget:

Entrepreneurship: 2017 as Startup & SME Promotion Year

• Declare 2017 as startup & SME promotion year
• Implement programmes under SME Master Plan (RM75 million)
• Extend all schemes under Syarikat Jaminan Pembiayaan Perniagaan (SJPP) to 2025.
• Provide 2% rebate on interest rates charged to exports-oriented SME borrowers under SJPP scheme (limited to a total accumulated funding of RM1 billion).
• WCGS fund for startups (RM200 million)
• Introduce a new pass category, namely Foreign Knowledge Tech Entrepreneurs to encourage investment in high technology startups
• To invigorate creative industries & film production (RM80 million).

Boosting Investments in Small, Midcap Companies

• Govt-linked investment companies will set aside up to RM3b to fund managers to invest in potential small and midcap firms.
• Capital Market Research Institute will set up Capital Market Development Fund with initial funding of RM75 million.
• Stamp duty on instruments of transfer of real estate worth more than RM1m to rise from 3% to 4% from Jan 1, 2018

Considerations for women, children and Islam

• Tax relief of RM1,000 for breast-feeding equipment to support working women.
• Tax relief up to RM1,000 for individual tax-payers who enroll their children age 6 and below into registered nurseries and pre-school.
• RM30 million allocated for free mammogram screening and HPV vaccination for women.
• PERMATA programme involving 50,000 children is allocated RM85 million.

Establishment of the top STEM Talent Excellence Centre at the Academy of Sciences Malaysia.

• Increase of monthly allowance for Imam from RM750 to RM850.
• Allocation of RM3 million to coordinate Tahfiz education through National Tahfiz Education Policy.

Security forces

• RM55 million to be provided to Special Insurgency Incentive Payment to veteran members of the armed forces who are yet to receive their special incentives.
• Out of the RM15.1 billion allocated to Ministry of Defence, RM1.8 billion is for asset defence maintenance; RM323 million to enhance effectiveness of ESSZone operations including personal deployment at the eastern border of Sabah.
• Ministry of Home Affairs allocated RM12.8 billion which includes a sum of RM8.7 billion for the Royal Malaysia Police.
• RM80 million provided to over 200,000 Rela members.

Empowering Malays and Bumiputra

• RM100 million to SME banks to increase opportunities for Bumiputera entrepreneurs.
• RM300 million to Tekun to assist small-scale entrepreneurs.
• RM200 million to Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad (PUNB).
• RM120 million to MARA for various entrepreneurship programmes.
• Facilitation fund of RM500 million to TERAJU to assist Bumiputra companies in expanding their businesses or start a new one.

Needs of Chinese and Indians addressed

• RM50 million allocated for the development of Chinese New Villages; RM20 million for micro-credit loans under the supervision of Malaysian Chinese Women Entrepreneurs Foundation, etc.
• RM50 million for programmes to increases capacity and income as well as RM150 million for business financing programmes through TEKUN and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM).
• RM10 million allocation to expand pre-school programme to 50 national-type Tamil schools.

Orang Asli and Disabled not Left Out

• RM535 allocated for persons with disabilities. This will also come in the form of employee allowance and training for disabled children.
• Increase of allowance of Orang Asli village heads, chairmen of Village Development and Security Committee from RM800 to RM900.
• For Native Customary Rights, RM20 million allocated for land survey in Sabah and RM30 million in Sarawak. 

Incentives to Encourage Repayment of PTPTN Loans

• 15% discount on outstanding debt for full settlement.
• 10% discount for payment of at least 50 per cent of outstanding debts.
• 10% discount for repayment through salary deduction or direct debit. This will come into effect on Oct 22, 2016 to Dec 2017.
• RM4.3 billion will be allocated for scholarships.
• Government will replace book vouchers with student debit cards worth RM250, benefiting 1.3 million students.
• RM7.4 billion allocated for 20 public universities to ensure national higher education is on a par with global standards.

Teachers to Receive Free Tablets

• Allocation of RM600 million to Special Fund for Improvement and Maintenance of Schools i.e. RM50 million for Chinese schools, RM50 million for Tamil schools and RM50 million for religious schools and RM50 million for registered Sekolah Pondok.
• Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will provide 430,000 teachers with free tablets to assist in their teaching. RM340 million will be allocated for this.
• RM570 million to reconstruct 120 destitute schools. RM90 million to boost English language proficiency in school through Cambridge English, Dual Language and Highly-Immersive Programmes.
• RM200 million from the Working Capital Guarantee Scheme Fund specifically allocated to start-ups.
• RM75 million allocated for programmes under the SME Master Plan. Guarantee up to 15 billion is provided under various schemes of Syarikat Jaminan Pembiayaan Perniagaan to be extended until 2025.

Government to boost Internet connectivity

• MCMC will provide RM1 billion to ensure coverage and quality of broadband nationwide reaches up to 20MB per second.
• Initiative for Ethernet broadband services in public universities to be increased to a maximum 100GB per second.
• E-visas to more countries to attract tourists
• Extension of e-visa to countries in the Balkans and South Asia region to achieve a target of 32 million tourist arrivals.
• Government will promote Malaysia through Visiting Asean@50 Year Campaign.
• Increase in tax deduction from RM500,000 to RM700,000 to encourage sponsorship by private sector in local and foreign arts, culture and heritage shows.
• RM400 million allocated for tourism for clean air and eco-tourism initiatives.
• RM29 million allocated for the construction of two Overhead Motorcycle Ramps at the Federal Highway in Selangor to mitigate floods in motorcycle lanes and ensure safety of riders.

RM60 million for Taxi Drivers’ Welfare

• To assist among others BR1M recipients, the government will encourage their participation as ride-sharing drivers such as Uber drivers.
• Introduction of Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) Scheme to individual taxi drivers with monthly income up to RM3,000.
• Grant of RM5,000 announced to purchase new vehicles and offer individual taxi permits. This will benefit 12,000 qualified taxi drivers who have ended their leasing contract with taxi companies. 

RM25 billion for Healthcare

• National Community Health Empowerment programme will be expanded to prevent and control diseases such as dengue and Zika. RM80 million will be allocated for this.
• To reduce overcrowding in public hospitals, the government will cooperate with the private sector or NGOs to operate non-profit charitable hospitals based on government hospital rates. RM20 million will be allocated in the form of loans for hospital equipment purchases.
• RM25 billion allocated for healthcare i.e. new hospitals and clinics will be built and upgraded in Perlis, Kuching, Mukah, Jempol, Muar and Johor Bahru; RM4 billion for supply for drugs, consumables, vaccines and reagents to all government hospitals and health facilities.

RM1.2 billion for Sports Development

• RM450 million out of this sum is for hosting the 29th SEA Games and the 9th Para Asean Games in 2017.
• RM54 million allocated to continue sports development programmes including athlete preparation programmes and paralympic athlete preparation programmes.
• RM100 million allocated to build four more Urban Transformation Centres (UTC) in Negeri Sembilan, Perlis, Penang and Selangor as well as three more Rural Transformation Centres (RTC) in Selangor, Sabah and Sarawak.
• The purchase of reading materials, computers and sports equipment will be combined as the lifestyle tax relief up to RM2,500 per year.

GST Rate to Stay

• GST collection is expected to increase by 1.82 per cent to RM40 billion in 2017 from RM38.5 billion in 2016.
• Najib stressed the public should not believe the grapevine regarding the increase in GST rates: “That is just hearsay.”
• In addition, the government is expected to achieve a fiscal deficit target of 3 per cent of GDP in 2017 compared to 3.1 per cent this year.
• 2017 revenue collection to expand at around 3 per cent to RM219.7 billion and government is expected to achieve the fiscal deficit target of 3 per cent of the GDP.
• The securities sector is allocated RM5.3 billion and general administration, more than RM2.5 billion. Contingencies will be allocated RM2 billion.
• Under the Development Expenditure, the economics sector will receive the highest share of RM25.9 billion, followed by the social sector with RM12.2 billion.
• RM103.9 billion is allocated for Fixed Charges and Grants. RM691 million is allocated for Purchase and Assets and RM816.6 million for other expenditures.
• The total allocation for Budget 2017 is RM260.8 billion and is an increase of 3.4 per cent from Budget 2016.

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