HIGHLIGHTS-Malaysia delivers 2022 budget to boost post-pandemic growth
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Malaysia announced an expanded budget on Friday, aiming to jumpstart its pandemic-battered economy in 2022.
Here are some highlights from the planned budget, with data from the government's fiscal and economic outlook reports released ahead of the budget speech:
2022 BUDGET
* Expenditure to rise to 332.1 billion ringgit ($80.07 billion) in 2022, from 320.6 billion ringgit in 2021
* Total revenue seen at 234 billion ringgit next year, up from 221 billion ringgit in 2021
* Operating expenditure seen at 233.5 billion ringgit, up 6.3%
* Development expenditure seen at 75.6 billion ringgit, up 21.9%
* COVID-19 fund allocation seen at 23 billion ringgit
* COVID-19 fund to cease operating in 2023
* Dividend from state oil firm Petronas to remain at 25 billion ringgit for 2022
FISCAL POLICY
* Fiscal deficit seen at 6.5% this year before moderating to 6% in 2022
* Fiscal deficit forecast to average 5% between 2022 and 2024, assuming nominal GDP growth of 7.7% over the period, and a crude oil price of $67 per barrel
* Fiscal consolidation to be more gradual than expected amid higher COVID-19 spending
* Current account surplus seen at 55.6 billion ringgit in 2022, down from 56.7 billion this year
* Overall debt seen reaching 66% of GDP at end-2022 but statutory debt seen at 63.4%, below 65% ceiling
* To introduce Fiscal Responsibility Act to improve fiscal management and accountability
ECONOMY
* Economy seen rising 5.5%-6.5% in 2022, up from 3%-4% in 2021
* Gross exports to grow 1.5% in 2022, after rising 17.1% in 2021
* Inflation rate expected to moderate to 2.1% next year
* Unemployment rate to drop to 4% in 2022 from 4.6%-4.8% this year
* Domestic demand seen up 6.6% in 2022 vs 3.1% in 2021
* Job guarantee initiative to ensure 600,000 job openings via 4.8 billion ringgit allocation
CASH AID
* 8.2 billion ringgit allocation for cash aid to be distributed to 9.6 million recipients
* 31 billion ringgit in subsidies, assistance and incentives for 2022 to minimise impact of rising cost of living
PUBLIC HEALTH
* 32.4 billion ringgit allocation to health ministry
* 4 billion ringgit for COVID-19 management
COMPANIES & INVESTMENTS
* To help listed companies impacted by the pandemic with additional funds injection through a government-owned special purpose vehicle, in the form of equity or other instruments
* Proposes to introduce one-off special tax on high income companies
* Government will make election of at least one female director mandatory in all publicly listed companies; effective September 1 next year for large cap companies, and June 2023 for others
* Special strategic investment fund of up to 2 billion ringgit to attract strategic foreign investment
PALM OIL
* 35 million ringgit allocation to implement the Smallholder Oil Palm Replanting Stimulus Scheme and 20 million ringgit to address anti-palm oil campaigns at the international level
* To raise the threshold for windfall profit levy from 2,500 to 3,000 ringgit for Peninsular Malaysia, and from 3,000 to 3,500 ringgit for Sabah and Sarawak
* Sabah and Sarawak levy rates adjusted to match rates in Peninsular, at 3%
CARBON NEUTRALITY GOALS
* Voluntary Carbon Market initiative will be launched under national stock exchange for carbon credit trading ($1 = 4.1475 ringgit) (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff and Liz Lee; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Raissa Kasolowsky)
