KUALA LUMPUR – The government has already spent 90% of the allocation in its Covid-19 fund.
In a written parliamentary reply yesterday, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the expenditure has exceeded RM60 billion.
He said on September 10, the cabinet approved the Finance Ministry’s recommendation to table amendments to the Temporary Measures for Government Financing (Covid-19) Act 2020.
These include increasing the virus fund ceiling to RM110 billion and the government’s statutory debt limit from 60% to 65% of gross domestic product.
Tengku Zafrul said the amendments will be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in mid-October to cover additional expenditure related to the healthcare system, assistance for vulnerable groups affected by the pandemic, and support for businesses to encourage employment.
Earlier this month, Lim Guan Eng (Bagan-PH) called on Putrajaya to top up the depleting Covid-19 fund, which he said has only RM8.6 billion left and is insufficient to finance Putrajaya’s war on the virus.
He said the Finance Ministry had disclosed that it used a total of RM38 billion from the fund last year, RM9.1 billion in the first quarter of 2021, and RM9.3 billion in Q2. – The Vibes, September 30, 2021
