However, the government said it has spent more than 30% of its development budget following the Covid-19 outbreak.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow (DAP-Padang Kota) said the state had collected RM312 million as of Sept 24. He said it has also spent RM84.8 million of its development expenditure, or 31% of the RM269.3 million budgeted for this year.
As for operating expenditure, he said, the state has spent RM437.4 million or 55% of the RM792.6 million budgeted for 2020. The targeted operating expenditure spending, after contributions to the consolidated funds, is now completed.
He was responding to a question from opposition leader Muhamad Yusoff Md Nor (BN-Sungai Dua), who asked how well the state was spending its budgeted allocations for the year.
In another reply to Nor Hafizah Othman (BN-Permatang Berangan), Chow said the state’s reserves stood at RM1.1 billion as of last year.
The chief minister also told Joseph Ng (DAP-Air Itam) the state government spent RM631,600 on the “Penang Lawan Covid-19” campaign videos and RM175,250 on educational billboards from March to September.
Ng had asked how much the state had spent on promotional items to educate the public on Covid-19.
Chow also revealed that the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBA) is paying a non-executive director RM47,600 a month in “special functions payment” allowances, RM1,000 in executive fees and RM300 for each meeting attended.
He said Kuvenaraju Pachappen’s role in PBA was to reinforce the company’s administration and to ensure key performance indicators (KPIs) are met.
He said Kuvenaraju is also tasked with supervising contracts, legal affairs, logistics and other roles in the company.
Chow said Kuvenaraju’s contract began on Sept 3 last year and will end on Sept 2 next year. His nomination as a non-executive director was confirmed by the nomination and remuneration committee on July 29 last year and confirmed on Aug 27 the same year.
He said this in response to a question by Yusoff, who had asked if Kuvenaraju’s appointment was legal and the benefits he was getting with his appointment.
Meanwhile, executive councillor Yeoh Soon Hin (DAP-Paya Terubong) told Hafizah the state government collected RM53.2 million in hotel fees from 2014 to last month.
He also said RM42 million in tourism tax had been collected in 2018 and 2019.