[UPDATED] PM confirms Budget 2023 tabling brought forward, coy on exact date

KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has reaffirmed reports that the tabling of Budget 2023 will be brought forward but did not provide an actual date for the announcement.

He said holding budget tablings as early as September was not out of the ordinary as it was done during Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s time in office.

“This is a normal matter, as during Pak Lah’s (Abdullah’s) time, they were done in September,” he told reporters briefly after attending the launch of the USHAniaga Keluarga Malaysia traders’ market carnival in Odeon Walk, along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman here, this evening. 

Asked to confirm whether the budget would be tabled on October 7, as reported earlier today, Ismail Sabri said the date would be announced by the law minister at a later time. 

Earlier today, it was reported that the tabling of the budget in the Dewan Rakyat would be brought forward three weeks to October 7.

The Dewan Rakyat sitting resumes on October 3 and the budget will be tabled by Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.

Malaysiakini also reported that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar denied the new date was linked to the mounting pressure to call for a snap election.

Ismail Sabri had hinted that this year’s budget will put the public’s well-being at its core by taking into consideration the challenges that await next year.

He had said that among the budget’s main priorities would be to ensure the nation’s post-Covid-19 recovery, which will include the creation of jobs, increases in income and the survival of businesses.

He added that the government would also pay attention to a safe and comfortable living environment by emphasising inclusive and sustainable development. – The Vibes, August 26, 2022