Tabled by Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan this morning, the request is set to cast doubt over Putrajaya’s aim of reducing the national debt of over 53 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and trimming its chronic deficit to 3 per cent of GDP by 2015.
If approved, the Bill will see the billions channelled to 16 ministries, government departments and agencies.
This RM14.1 billion is in addition to the approved funds of RM251.6 billion under Budget 2013.
The Treasury General Services and the Treasury will take up over RM11.8 billion and RM606.9 million under the Bill, respectively.
Ministries that are expected to receive significant allocations under the Bill are the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, which will get over RM322.77 million and RM300 million respectively.
The Public Service Department, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Home Affairs are slated to receive RM298.2 million, RM239 million and over RM205.1 million respectively, while the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development is expected to get around RM126.6 million.
Last month, the Dewan Negara (the upper house of Parliament) approved the Supplementary Supply (2012) Bill for the sum of over RM513 million.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is scheduled to table Budget 2014 on October 25.
All eyes will be on the Budget to see if Putrajaya introduces financial reforms such as the long-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) to increase its revenue.
Earlier this month, the government reduced subsidies for RON95 petrol and diesel by 20 sen a litre in a bid to slash its fuel subsidy bill by an estimated RM3.3 billion annually.
Pressure has increased on Putrajaya to trim the country’s debt level and introduce meaningful reforms to widen its revenue base after international ratings firm Fitch cut the country’s debt outlook from “Stable” to “Negative” in July.
