An aerial view of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly – Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (May 20): The State Legislative Assembly today passed the Supplementary Supply (2022) Bill, 2022 for an additional expenditure of RM60,064,358 for 2020 and this year.
The Bill, which was tabled by Deputy Premier of Sarawak and Second Minister for Finance and New Economy Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, was passed with unanimous support after the second and third reading without debate.
Uggah said the extra expenditure is to meet the additional operating grant to 23 local authorities in Sarawak.
He said RM18,182,344 out of the total additional expenditure is to meet the 25 per cent discount on assessment rates for residential holdings with annual rates above RM400, commercial, industrial, and special purpose holdings and vacant land for January to June this year.
He explained the 30 to 100 per cent discount on assessment rates for residential holdings with annual rates of RM400 and below for the year 2020, amounting to RM23,554,945, was part of the additional expenditure.
“It is also to meet the 30 to 100 per cent discount on assessment rates for residential holdings with annual rate of RM400 and below for January to June this year, amounting to RM12,176,798,” he informed the august House.
Uggah said RM5,735,532 out of the total additional expenditure is for the waiver of business permit and licence belonging to local authorities for this year.
He said an amount of RM213,659 is meant for the waiver of hotel and lodging house licences for this year.
The remaining RM201,080 is to meet the 50 per cent discount for the rental of bus terminal belonging to local authorities for this year.
Apart from that, Uggah also moved a motion to refer to the Committee of Supply the First Supplementary Estimates of Development Expenditure, 2022 for the approval of an additional provision for this year.
“The additional allocation required is RM100,000,000 to finance the implementation of various ongoing Project Rakyat throughout the State,” he said.
Both the Bill and the motion were seconded by Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.