Budget 2025: Govt allocates RM470 mil to empower women's participation in PMKS

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when presenting the 2025 Malaysia MADANI Budget in Dewan Rakyat today said to encourage women to return to work, the Women's Leadership Apprenticeship Program (PERANTIS) will be intensified under the Ministry of Women as an effort to produce more female corporate personalities.

"The Returnship Program will be initiated to encourage women to return to work in the financial sector. This program organized by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and the Malaysian Securities Commission (SC) will provide training facilities and then connect with potential employers who are suitable for returning to work.

"The government also plans to offer an additional 50 percent tax exemption to employers who employ women to return to work after pursuing their education through financial assistance for a period of 12 months," he said.

In that, Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said that newborn babies at high risk of contracting Hepatitis B need to be curbed and the government has provided an allocation of RM5 million to implement the 1,000 First Days of Life Initiative.

"This effort is to start the detection early and provide treatment for diseases in an effort to produce a healthy and productive generation," he said.

Anwar said the welfare allocation for the elderly has been increased to RM1 billion to fund cash assistance, money for the elderly institutions and activity centers.

"The government also proposes that individual income tax exemptions related to sports and health care activities be reviewed again to preserve the welfare and guarantee the care of the elderly, including tax exemptions for parents' full medical examination expenses to be expanded to cover the cost of vaccinations.

"In addition, tax exemptions for equipment and sports activities extended to parents; tax relief for medical treatment expenses for parents also includes grandparents and additional tax deductions for employers who pay child care allowances have also been expanded to include care for the elderly i.e. parents, grandparents," he said.

He said the well-being of the disabled community (OKU) is also defended through the allocation of assistance for the disabled under the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) being increased to RM1.3 billion from RM1.2 billion in the past.

Financing facilities through the BSN Sinar Scheme is provided with a RM50 million allocation for the disabled to engage in business.

"The government will also ease the burden of disabled taxpayers with the proposed additional tax relief for the disabled to be increased to RM7,000. The additional tax relief for disabled couples has been increased to RM6,000 and the tax relief for taxpayers with unmarried disabled children has been increased to RM8,000," he said.

-- BERNAMA