By Syauqi Jamil
KUALA LUMPUR: To this day, the Pakatan Harapan government has yet to set a specific date to the closing of Tabung Harapan, a government’s donation drive in an attempt to reduce the RM1.087 trillion national debt.
Deputy Finance Minister Amiruddin Hamzah said that there are still plenty of donations coming in from the masses from within the country as well as from abroad.
“There’s still many donation received from the masses, not just locally but also from abroad where we had received more than RM10 million from overseas alone,” he said today in Parliament.
Amiruddin also stated that the collection made to this day roughly stands at RM162 million.
The Parti Pribumi Bersatu (PPBM) Kubang Pasu lawmaker added, tax exemptions still applies to any donations to the government as according to the law.
“Based on section 446 of the Income Tax Act 1967, income tax exemption is allowed on the entire donation value to the government including Tabung Harapan Malaysia,” he said.
Amiruddin was responding to a supplementary question by DAP Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun who asked if there’s a time limit to the drive as well as if tax exemptions applies for donors.
Meanwhile, BN Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan had also posed a supplementary question to Amiruddin asking him why the people need to help pay off government’s debt, adding that its a basic mistake.
In his reply, Amiruddin said that the idea was originated by the people themselves, when a person walked in to the Prime Minister’s office, handing out a RM100 note as a donation to help reduce the national debt.
“Through a memorandum to the cabinet, we have decided to form the Tabung Harapan,” he said.
The Tabung Harapan was established by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on May 30.
