
Economic news – Of tightropes and safety nets
The 2012 Budget which will be presented on 7 Oct is all about keeping the economy going
given the acute external uncertainties. The budget measures will build on the foundations
of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP)
and Economic Transformation
Programme (ETP) as well as strategic reform initiatives to enhance Malaysia’s
competitiveness. Investors and consumers can look forward to a “friendly” budget that will
stimulate economic growth in the private sector. Generally, the budget is unlikely to deliver
major negative surprises. We also expect targeted “safety net” measures to ease the
burden of the rising cost of living on low- and middle-income households. The Budget
should sustain fiscal support while reducing the budget deficit from an estimated 5.4% of
GDP in 2011 to around 5.0% in 2012.

ETP projects like Amedia, Digista, Smartag