IT is good to see the national budget focused on the needs of the middle-income and lower-income earners (M40 and B40 groups), said Sarawak United Peoples Party secretary-general Datuk Sebastian Ting.
"The needs of the B40 and M40 have been brought to the forefront and this must be the case for the coming year as the needs of the rakyat in these groups are pressing.
"The middle and low-income earners are the ones burdened heavily nowadays and it is also good to see that there is no new tax introduced that directly affects basic food items and this is a big relief for us in Sarawak too," he said.
Ting, who is state assemblyman for Piasau, said the rakyat in Sarawak is already burdened with escalating costs of living for the past few years.
"There are no new taxes that affect basic food items so we hope prices can stabilise.
"The ordinary rakyat cannot be burdened by more price increases," he said.
Luxury food items especially imported food like salmon will have new taxes imposed. - October 19, 2024