Kota Kinabalu: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah Backbenchers Club Chairman Datuk Masiung Banah said Sabahans are pinning high hopes on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to deliver good news on the 40 per cent revenue claim.
Masiung said this in a statement, Saturday, following the recent Technical Committee on the Implementation of the Malaysia Agreement (MA63) meeting, where two key components of the State’s tax revenue claim were left undisputed.
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Masiung, who is also Kuamut Assemblyman, said the Prime Minister’s brief visit to Pulau Banggi is particularly anticipated in light of two undisputed elements of the State’s revenue claim totalling RM3.019 billion, a figure formally endorsed at the State Assembly (DUN) sitting on April 27.
“The State Government’s position on the latest framework is clear, as set out in the motion tabled by State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun at the DUN session two weeks ago,” Masiung said.
“Tax revenue from these two components must begin with immediate payment by the Federal Government through customs duty and Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) tax collections,” he added.
He said the undisputed tax amount must be settled before negotiations proceed on other revenue components that remain under discussion.
“An announcement by the Prime Minister on the matter would carry significant weight for all Sabahans, particularly as a tangible demonstration of the Madani Government’s commitment ahead of the upcoming 16th General Election,” he said.
Masiung, who also heads Sedco Group, said based on current estimates, Sabah’s 40 per cent share of customs and LHDN tax collections amounts to about RM7.547 billion, making the State’s special entitlement RM3.019 billion.
Masidi, when tabling the claim at the DUN, said the State Government had already written formally to Putrajaya on April 10 demanding payment of the 40 per cent share from the two undisputed components as a priority.
The 40 per cent revenue claim remains a central issue in State-Federal negotiations, particularly concerning disputed revenue components, including the lost years dating back to 1974.
