Mat Nadzari Ahmad Dahlan, the Umno rep for Batang Kali, said the annual financial plan was like a poor attempt at a university dissertation as it repeated old, worn-out achievements and highlighted measures already undertaken by the PKR-led state government.
“There are no new initiatives, except for continuing to do what has been done before,” he told reporters at the state assembly here today.
Earlier, Menteri Besar Azmin Ali tabled the budget with a total allocation of RM3.12 billion, which he said was geared towards driving the economy and providing development for the well-being of the people.
Nadzari, who is Selangor Umno deputy chairman, claimed the budget contained features that had been merely padded up from initiatives undertaken by the federal government.
He added that he was still unclear about the state government’s efforts to boost Selangor’s gross domestic product (GDP).
He said there were no new economic development areas, aside from those in Sepang, Serendah and Subang which were the result of efforts by the former BN state administration.
He said a proper proposal to boost economic development in the “west coast ring area” in northern Selangor, stretching from Sabak Bernam to Hulu Selangor, was also lacking.
On the projected revenue of RM2.25 billion for next year, Nadzari questioned if the government was going to increase the land tax or land premium to achieve its objective. Azmin had said among the contributors to the revenue collection would be land premium (48.3%), land tax revenue (23.3%) and land-related deals (5.9%).
Nadzari also said the state’s three-month bonus in 2018 for civil servants was not new as the budget had included what had been paid to civil servants in June, with the remaining payment to be issued in December.
“And many incentives which were mentioned are still being discussed. There is nothing concrete yet,” he added.
Azmin, who is Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman, had said of the RM3.12 billion in the budget, 46.8% or RM1.46 billion was for management purposes, and 53.2% or RM1.66 billion was for developmental purposes.
He also announced a deficit of RM870 million in the state budget.