My Longkang

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Interesting character : Almost reached pension status, male.

Christopher : You ask me why I am angry? Have you read The Star? Look! It is written,

Najib had earlier pointed out that the public should look at the overall benefits offered by the Government in the Budget, including an additional RM1,000 tax relief and a reduction at the top of the taxable income tier from 27% to 26%.

“So they get two (relief measures) and only have to pay RM50 (per credit card). Don’t tell me they cannot pay RM50?’’ he said.

He said , THE PUBLIC. Who is THE PUBLIC. We have leaders in our country who have lost touch with the man on the street. They think we all are driven around in limousines and stay in palaces. Credit cards are no longer a luxury and for many a fact of life. Who can carry thousands in cash around or keep them in the home. In case of emergencies, the counter staff at the private hospital will demand a few thousand upfront as deposit.

How much benefit will an additional RM1,000 tax relief benefit a tax payer across the spectrum? In one breath he expects the credit for introducing the measure and within the same breath, he takes the benefit away. If it is so good, then why make up for the loss in income revenue and try to generate RM555,000,000 from this credit card tax. The government said the country needs it for development. If that is the case, why hide the issue and pretend it is to encourage prudent spending? I am so fed up with all the double talk in the media.

Does the government know that the people who enjoy the benefit of a reduction at the top of the taxable income tier from 27% to 26% are the same kind of people who will not be affected much by the credit card tax and are very different from the average man on the street.

Doesn’t the government have a script writer somewhere who tells the leaders what to say to the media without appearing cold and unfeeling? This government measure angers me so much. Has the country thoughts only for the middle and upper class citizens in terms of income? How about the average person on the street. Have they become dispensable and featherweight and not worth a second consideration? It is possible our leaders have been so buffeted from the real world at large, they have forgotten what it is to be an average income earner.

They give the civil servants RM500 as a bonus because the government cannot afford to give them more it is said while at the same time, the auditor general has highlighted so much money being mismanaged. I know, I know the government will announce some sort of task force or whatever but this is only after the fact. Where were the measures to prevent all this from from happening in the first place?

I wish the government realized that the people of this nation are like a pyramid. The poor at the wide base and the rich and loaded at the apex. The numerous people at the base have needs to be considered too and not brushed off as of no consequence.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 11:06 am and is filed under interesting characters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.