13 MARCH 2008 - BB :The week-long Legislative Council session wound up yesterday with the Minister of Finance II urging the public and businessmen to pay up dues amounting to a whopping $226 million owed to the government, which could be used to finance the construction of basic amenities and infrastructure like roads, hospitals and schools.
YB Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Hj Awg Abdul Rahman saw the need to assist the government in collecting such revenue. The dues included electricity ($106 million), water ($44 million) and others.
"We need to create awareness among the public so that they will abide by the law. The ministry has gone after several companies who have shied away from paying taxes and this would be extended to the public. Those in the corporate field could help inform the businessmen on this issue.
"We urge the people to change their mindset from asking for everything from the government to become a contributor to the government for the benefit of the future generations," the minister added.
The minister also clarified that the dispersal of early bonus for government servants in December and cut in corporate tax were made with the consent of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and public servants should thank the monarch. The decisions were made after a thorough analysis, he added.
On the issue of TAP (Employees Trust Fund) which has been bothering Bruneians for many years and raised by YB Hj Mohd Shafiee bin Ahmad, the minister said before the establishment of TAP, it was only the government and some in the private sector that gave pensions to their staff resulting in the lack of interest in private sector jobs.
"With the setting up of TAP, all staff in the government and private sectors are entitled to retirement benefits, thus reducing the gap between both sectors. With the TAP scheme, job-hopping between one private sector company to another could be made without any loss in retirement benefits.
"The government pays $145 million to pensioners annually and $100 million in gratuity for civil servants and $44 million for old age pension. Maybe, we could imagine the burden faced by the government in the future," he added.
On the government's effort to assist small and medium sized entrepreneurs (SMEs) raised by YB Dato Paduka Hj Puasa, the minister said in the 8th NDP, the government allocated $107 million as special fund for entrepreneurship businesses (Tabung Kemajuan Perusahaan) and two types of financial schemes namely the micro-credit scheme and entrepreneurship facilitation scheme to facilitate them in acquiring finance for small businesses and to widen their businesses.
At present, some $29.2 million has been channelled into two local banks for the entrepreneurs to apply for loans. Based on the data from the ministry, till 31st October 2007, 83 entrepreneurs have received such lending assistance totalling $28.3 million.
Twenty-nine applicants sought a total of $9.4 million for agriculture, $11.6 million for fisheries, $5.6 million for manufacturing and $800,000 for tourism. The minister gave the figures to clear the air as one of the members said the lending was only focused on agriculture.
For the micro-credit financial scheme, some $7.6 million has been released to 368 firms ranging from construction, boutiques, cyber cafes and so on. Under the scheme, $4 million in dues are owed to the government.
With regard to luggage inspection and the proposal to set up a green and red area for customs declaration at the airport raised by YB Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Dato Paduka Awg Goh King Chin, the minister said the matter is under review by the ministry subject to legal and technical issues.
Asked why women civil servants who hold permanent posts do not receive airfare for their husband and children by YB Hj Bakar bin Mansor, the minister said it is based on the PMO circulars 17/1992 and 19/1995 where a woman civil servant holding a permanent post is not entitled for such an allowance for her husband and children. We are still following the present circular until a new circular is issued, the minister added.
