Malaysia mampu capai sasaran pertumbuhan

Publication: BH

Date of publication: Aug 30, 2012

Section heading: Bisnes

Page number: 008

Byline / Author: Oleh Shahrizan Salian

Kuala Lumpur: Daya tahan luar biasa ekonomi Malaysia hasil pelaksanaan beberapa program pembaharuan menyeluruh kerajaan meletakkan negara ini pada landasan kukuh mencapai sasaran pertumbuhannya tahun ini, kata penyedia analisis dan maklumat ekonomi antarabangsa, The Economist Group.

Ketua Ahli Ekonomi Asia Tenggara dan Asia Selatan Economist Corporate Network, Justin Wood, berkata unit penyelidikan ekonomi kumpulan itu yang menerbitkan majalah perniagaan, The Economist menimbang meningkatkan unjuran pertumbuhan Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK) Malaysia antara 4.8 peratus hingga 4.9 peratus tahun ini.

Prestasi mantap

Katanya, semakan semula unjuran itu akan dibuat susulan prestasi mantap ekonomi Malaysia seperti ditunjukkan pada separuh pertama tahun ini.

Malaysia menunjukkan peningkatan daya tahan disokong perbelanjaan domestik yang kukuh serta pertambahan pelaburan ke dalam aset tetap seperti infrastruktur, hartanah dan jentera, katanya pada taklimat tinjauan ekonomi Malaysia anjuran Philip Morris (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, di sini, semalam.

Wood berkata, The Economist Group mengekalkan unjuran pertumbuhan Malaysia pada 4.7 peratus tahun ini, iaitu penurunan kecil berbanding tahun lalu.

Bagaimanapun, katanya, kumpulan penerbitan itu mengunjurkan ekonomi Malaysia akan kembali mencatatkan aliran kukuh sehingga 2016 dengan purata pertumbuhan sekitar 5.5 peratus bermula tahun depan.

Dijangka berkembang

Ekonomi Malaysia agak mengejutkan kerana menunjukkan peningkatan dari segi daya tahan. Perbelanjaan domestik berterusan kukuh dan dijangka berkembang sekitar tujuh peratus setahun, sekali gus lebih pantas daripada pertumbuhan KDNK.

Kedudukan itu menambah lagi daya tahan ekonomi negara ini ditambah pula dengan cerita pelaburan memberangsangkan, katanya.

Kekal OPR

Wood berkata, Bank Negara Malaysia dijangka mengekalkan kadar dasar semalaman (OPR) pada tiga peratus sehingga tahun ini, sebelum inflasi dijangka meningkat tahun depan berikutan kemungkinan berlaku perubahan struktur subsidi kerajaan serta pelaksanaan cukai barangan dan perkhidmatan (GST).

Secara keseluruhannya, Bank Negara telah melakukan kerja yang cemerlang dengan melaksanakan dasar yang betul pada masa yang sepatutnya, katanya.

Sementara itu, beliau berkata, pelabur melihat program pembaharuan yang dilaksanakan kerajaan sejak dua tahun lalu sebagai antara faktor penting keputusan pelaburan mereka di negara ini.

Ekonomi Malaysia kukuh dan pelaburan langsung asing (FDI) terus meningkat. Semua ini disebabkan keprihatinan kerajaan terhadap setiap maklum balas pelabur asing sebelum ini, katanya.

Beliau berkata, satu daripada kriteria paling penting yang dikehendaki pelabur asing dalam sesebuah negara adalah kestabilan politik diiringi dasar yang jelas sebagai satu pakej.

INFO

Ekonomi Malaysia

= Pertumbuhan separuh pertama: 5.1 peratus

= Pertumbuhan suku pertama: 4.8 peratus

= Pertumbuhan suku kedua: 5.4 peratus

Chamber comes up with wish list of perks

Publication: NST

Date of publication: Aug 30, 2012

Section heading: Business Times

Page number: 006

Byline / Author: By Rupa Damodaran

  

KUALA LUMPUR: FOR MALAYSIA to achieve a sustainable high-income economy, greater focus must be given to investments in research and development (RD), says the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI).

In its proposal to the government for the 2013 Budget, it has suggested that incentives be extended to companies. For example, there should be double deduction for acquisition of intellectual property rights used in business.

Incentives should also be considered for companies undertaking appropriate training as a labour force with better education, training and skills will not only result in greater productivity but will also contribute to new technology and innovation.

As an organisation whose members make up the largest private investment sector in the country, the Chamber welcomes the opportunity to play its part in making that private-public sector partnership work, its president Peter Vogt said.

MICCI's 1,000 members include multinational companies, public listed companies and small and medium sized companies (SMEs) from a very wide range of manufacturing, service and professional service sectors. Investments from its members are in excess of RM110 billion in Malaysia.

To enhance the business environment, Vogt pointed out the need to make tax rules simple, adding that 'legitimate business costs' should not be disallowed.

It supports the introduction Goods and Services Tax (GST) but every effort must be made to ensure that the business sector, which will be the collecting agent for tax, buys-in into the system. The introduction of GST is, by and large, a profound change in the nation's tax system, he said, adding that the costs involved by the business community to prepare for this event will not be insubstantial.

One of the main concerns of the members is the lead-time given by the authorities for businesses to prepare for the GST.

They are hoping the time frame will not be less than 18 months from the date that the GST becomes operational.

Generally larger businesses would have to commit substantial resources in terms of time, money and people to prepare for the transaction-based tax which means a detailed mapping of every conceivable transaction in a firm's business before its management can be assured that legal requirements under the tax are met.

Describing the introduction of the GST as a significant step towards reforming the tax system, MICCI stressed that the process of reform should continue with the reduction of corporate tax rate to 20 per cent.

To show seriousness in transforming the nation into a developed nation and in line with GST, this should be announced formally as a policy objective and should include ultimately lowering of the top marginal personal tax rate and the widening of income bands so as to reduce bracket creep.

With a higher income level and greater economic activities, tax revenue collection with GST in place will be much higher but all this means that attracting foreign direct investments and energising local investors must continue in a focused manner.

Chinese less optimistic this year and next: ACCCIM

Ea Ann Nee sunbiz@thesundaily.com

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 30, 2012): The Chinese business community in Malaysia is less optimistic about the country’s economic outlook this year and in 2013, but is cautiously optimistic about the economy improving in 2014, according to a recent survey by the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM).

“Business competition has become increasingly stern, where small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are facing tough challenges, both domestically and abroad,” ACCCIM president Datuk Lim Kok Cheong told a press conference when releasing the findings of the survey yesterday.

“Many businesses become less optimistic on the back of shrinking new orders and production as they feel the pinch from weakening global demand, while the efforts by the government at the macro level may not yet have filtered down to them and they are being squeezed by rising costs of doing business,” he added.

Local Chinese businesses saw their performance weaken in the first half of 2012 due to an increase in operating costs and prices of raw materials, government policies, manpower shortage and domestic competition.

Lim said the increase in operating costs and prices of raw materials has become the greatest concern among businesses.

“The increase of one percentage point in EPF contribution for workers earning RM5,000 and below and the impending implementation of the minimum wage are perceived to aggravate operating costs and affect the business performance of SMEs.

“At the same time, employers would be hit by another ruling, that is the extension of retirement age in the private sector to 60 years. Wage costs are now expected to further increase,” he added.

ACCCIM recommended a goods and services tax (GST) rate of 4% for a start and urged the government to formulate and announce the timetable of implementing the tax regime 18 months in advance. It is also seeking a gradual reduction of corporate tax rate from 25% to 22%, and to 17% in the long run.

The survey also found that all businesses were concerned with the developments in Europe, given the continuous stream of negative news. About 45% of respondents said they saw no impact of the European crisis on their businesses partly because they were shielded somewhat by stronger domestic demand, on the back of higher fiscal spending through various handouts and the implementation of projects under the Economic Transformation Programme, public-private partnership and various economic corridors.

About 64.2% of respondents also did not foresee property prices trending downwards in the future. 

Cadang turunkan cukai korporat

ARKIB : 30/08/2012

Oleh NORLAILI ABD. RAHMAN

ekonomi@utusan.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR 29 Ogos - Dewan Perniagaan dan Industri Cina Malaysia (ACCCIM) mengharapkan cukai korporat diturunkan kepada 22 peratus berbanding 25 peratus pada pembentangan Bajet 2013 September ini.

Presidennya, Datuk Lim Kok Cheong berkata, secara relatifnya cukai korporat di negara ini masih tinggi berbanding negara-negara jiran.

Jelas Kok Cheong, sekiranya kadar baharu diperkenalkan, ia bakal membantu menarik lebih banyak pelaburan ke Malaysia di samping menggalakkan pelaburan semula oleh pelabur tempatan.

Cukai korporat di Malaysia terlalu tinggi.

Kami mengharapkan kerajaan menurunkan cukai korporat secara beransur-ansur, mungkin 22 peratus pada Bajet 2013 dan 17 peratus untuk jangka masa panjang," katanya pada sidang akhbar mengumumkan hasil kaji selidik berhubung situasi ekonomi di Malaysia pada separuh pertama 2012, di sini hari ini.

Selain cukai korporat, ACCCIM turut meminta kerajaan melihat kadar standard bagi cukai barangan dan perkhidmatan (GST) yang seharusnya bermula dari kadar terendah yang paling munasabah.

Malah persatuan itu juga menggesa kerajaan untuk mereka dan mengumumkan jadual pelaksanaan GST serta memberi tempoh sekurang-kurangnya 18 bulan bagi membolehkan para usahawan dan ahli perniagaan membuat persiapan dan menyertai latihan yang sepatutnya.

Ini merupakan perkara penting untuk memastikan kos melaksanakan perniagaan tidak akan meningkat," ujarnya lagi.

Menurut Kok Cheong, menerusi kaji selidik yang dijalankan persatuan tersebut, ahli-ahli perniagaan tempatan amat rungsing dengan peningkatan kos perniagaan terutama kos operasi dan bahan mentah.

Tambahan pula dengan peningkatan satu peratus sumbangan Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) bagi pekerja bergaji RM5,000 dan ke bawah serta pelaksanaan gaji minimum yang didakwa bakal menjejaskan prestasi perniagaan terutama kepada perusahaan kecil dan sederhana (PKS).

Hasil kaji selidik tersebut mengunjurkan prestasi ekonomi bakal lembap pada tahun ini sehinggalah pada 2013.

Namun ia optimis petunjuk positif bakal muncul pada 2014.

Artikel Penuh: http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Ekonomi/20120830/ek_05/Cadang-turunkan-cukai-korporat#ixzz2WGiuOrWJ

© Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd