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KUALA LUMPUR – Earlier today, the 2021 Budget that was tabled by the Finance Minister Senator Dato' Sri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz showed an allocation of RM940,580,900 million for the Youth & Sports ministry.
Within that allocation, RM55 million has been allocated for the development for hockey, rugby, badminton, cycling and women athletes. However, out of that RM55 million, RM15 million will go to e-sports, leaving the remaining RM40 million to be divided among the sports mentioned above, summing to RM8 million each.
While the development of sports is important, proper sporting facilities are also significant and have been included in the 2021 budget. RM103 million has been allocated to build, upgrade and maintain sporting facilities across the nation; while RM20 million has also been allocated as an easy loan for those under the TEKUN Sukan scheme to access, all in the efforts to aid the sports facilities operators.
For the rest of us who are not carrying the torch to represent our country in any of these sports, the above may sound irrelevant to you. Yet, fret not as RM19 million has been allocated to the Agenda Nasional Malaysia Sihat (ANMS) to strengthen efforts to encourage citizens to practice healthy living and reduce the risks of contracting illnesses like diabetes, hypertension and obesity. On top of that, RM28 million is allocated to run programs like MyFit, National Sports Day and the Inspire Program for the disabled.
Part of the allocation also includes a plan to increase the tax exemption limit for lifestyle from RM2,500 to RM3,000. This covers sports-related spending and even an entry fee for competitions. This means that you can participate in the next Standard Chartered Marathon or Unicorn Run and file it under this exemption. But if you would rather much prefer to read about sporting events through your favourite online news portal, this tax exemption also covers your e-news subscription. – The Vibes, November 6, 2020
