Govt subsidy proposal draws flak from cash transfer fan

Free Malaysia Today

An economist says giving cash to those in need will cost less, but another economist says vouchers would be more targeted.   Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2023/10/22/govt-subsidy-proposal-draws-flak-from-cash-transfer-fan/  Laporan Lanjut:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2023/10/22/pindahan-tunai-lebih-baik-kata-ahli-ekonomi/   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2Rn6xEV Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2OCwH8a  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2OKJbc6 Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3cpbWKK Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/2VUfOrv Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/3B1e8lN Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/39dBDbe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTNews #GovernmentSubsidies #CashTransfer #VoucherMarkets

Transcript

00:00 Economists have differing opinions on whether the government should aid the poor through

00:06 cash transfers or targeted subsidies.

00:09 Malaysia University of Science and Technology Professor Geoffrey Williams advocated for

00:14 the government to offer cash transfers to people instead of providing subsidies for

00:19 goods.

00:20 While the government has stated its intent to utilise targeted subsidies to assist those

00:25 in need, Williams said cash transfers provide direct income to those below the minimum threshold,

00:31 allowing them to spend as they choose.

00:35 Williams noted that the PADU database, set to be operational in January, could enable

00:40 income-based targeted assistance rather than relying on subsidies for specific goods.

00:46 Carmelo Felito from the Centre for Market Education is in favour of providing targeted

00:51 subsidies through vouchers, which could give rise to voucher markets, leading to a more

00:56 targeted distribution of aid.

00:58 University of Kebangsaan Malaysia economist Lai Wei Xiang said targeted subsidies could

01:03 help the poor to obtain essential goods, but noted that cash transfers could be an alternative

01:09 if a mechanism is in place to ensure that the funds are not spent elsewhere.

01:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]

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