Attract And Retain Human Talent By Adopting A Flat 15% Personal Income Tax For All Experts Whether Returning To Or Already In Malaysia And Build Future Human Capital With Free Wifi Services In Public Places Throughout Malaysia To Increase Mobile Internet Usage And Broadband Penetration Amongst The Young.(en/cn)

Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng And MP For Bagan In Kuala Lumpur on 7.1.2013.

DAP calls on the BN Federal government to be serious about its Economic Transformation Programme’s goal to generate human capital formation following its flip flop in the RM200 smartphone rebate scheme costing RM300 million and double-standards in implementing the 15% flat tax rate under the Returning Experts Programme(REP) but not enjoyed by local experts with similar skill-sets. The RM 200 smartphone rebate can only achieve its purpose of increasing mobile internet usage amongst the young if it is accompanied by the provision of free wifi services in all public places throughout Malaysia whether in cities or towns, in villages or estates.

The Prime Minister announcement in last year’s Budget in September, that Malaysians between 21 and 30 who earned under RM3,000 a month could get a rebate of RM200 on handphones for smartphones costing less than RM500, did not fully fulfil its objective of helping the young who can not afford to buy a smartphone. The BN Federal government was forced to flip-flop and remove the RM500 price cap to ensure that it will not deprive lower-income youths of this privilege.

Worse is the double-standard in discriminating local experts who chose to remain in Malaysia rather than seek greener pastures overseas. The objective of the REP was to encourage Malaysian experts working overseas to return to work in Malaysia with various incentives including a 15% flat income tax rate for 5 years. The important question raised is why local experts working in Malaysia are not accorded similar recognition for their commitment to their country.

This echoes the same double-standards by the BN-controlled media of forgiving a Minister who was a permanent resident of Australia as a loyal citizen whilst labelling those opposing BN as traitors even though they had never applied for a Permanent Resident whether in Australia or any other country in the world.
The same double-standard applies for experts and professionals working in Iskandar Development Region in Johor, who also enjoys the 15% flat income tax rate. Justice, fair play and a level playing field demands that this 15% flat income tax rate be applied equally on all experts and professionals throughout Malaysia. We cannot have “one country two tax systems” which will make a mockery of the concept of 1Malaysia!

DAP urges BN to apply the benefit of the 15% flat income tax rate on the Iskandar region and the REP on local experts. As a first step, the list of professions or expertise that is qualified under the REP should be spelled out and the flat 15% income tax rate should be enjoyed by those experts and professionals who have all along been working in Malaysia.

Should BN refuse to do so, PR will implement this fair measure when PR wins Putrajaya to attract and retain human talent by adopting a flat 15% personal income tax for all experts whether returning to or already in Malaysia and build future human capital with free wifi services in public places throughout Malaysia to increase mobile internet usage and broadband penetration amongst the young.

Lim Guan Eng

—-Mandarin Version —

民主行动党秘书长兼峇眼区国会议员林冠英于2013年1月7日在吉隆坡发表声明：

为了吸引及留住人才，政府应该将那些回流或已在国内的专才最高所得税一率降至15%，通过在全马各地的公共场所安装免费无线上网，建立人力资本，提高年轻人的网络使用率及宽频渗透率。

行动党促请国阵联邦政府认真对待经济转型计划，以创造人力资本，最近国阵政府在200令吉智能手机回购方面朝令夕改，同时在人才回流计划中的最高所得税15%政策上持双重标准，本地同等能力的专才并无法享有上述最高所得税。至于200令吉的智能手机回扣，唯有当全马各地的公共场所，无论是城市还是乡区、村子或住宅区内都提供免费无线上网后，当局才能达致提高年轻人流动上网的使用率。

首相在去年9月的财政预算案中宣布，21岁至30岁之间的马来西亚人，月入低于3000令吉，若购买500令吉以下的智能手机便可以获得200令吉的回扣，这无法帮助到那些根本没有能力购买智能手机的年轻人。 国阵联邦政府被朝令夕改，宣布取消智能手机500令吉顶价，以确保这个顶价不会剥夺低收入年轻人的特权。

最糟的是，上述政策对那些留在国内的本地专才持双重标准。专才回流计划的目标是要鼓励在国内工作的马来西亚人才回到国内，首五年的最高所得税为15%。最重要的问题是为什么本地专才并没有获得这些待遇，以显示我国对他们的认同？

同样地，国阵控制媒体也持双重标准，他们原谅一名拥有澳洲永久居留权的部长，但是却标签那些反对国阵的人士为叛徒， 即使他们从来没有申请过澳洲或任何国家的永久居留权。

同样的双重标准也反映在为柔佛州依斯干达发展特区工作的专才。他们享有15%的最高所得税。按公正、公平竞争的平台角度来说，全马各地的专才都应该享有这项15%的最高所得税。我们不能有“一国两个税制”，这对“一个马来西亚”来说是一个大笑话！

民主行动党促请国阵让依斯干达经济特区专才及回流人才一样享有最高所得税15%。政府首先要做的是，政府应该列出在人才回流计划下，合格的专才或专家名单，那些一直在马来西亚服务的专才及专家应该一率获得最高所得税15%的待遇。

如果国阵做不到，民联将会在入主布城后这么做，让所有专才，无论是回流的，或已经在国内服务的，一率享有最高所得税15%，以吸引人才、留住人才，并在全马各地的公共场所安装免费无线上网，建立人力资本，提高年轻人的网络使用率及宽频渗透率。

林冠英