Tee Yong: No study on how people spend BR1M

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has not carried out a study on how recipients spend their 1Malaysia Peoples Aid (BR1M), said Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Chua Tee Yong.

"No study has been conduct yet as there are still infrastructure improvements needed.

"However, we are confident that the aid received by those in the B40 category (households below RM3,885) are used to buy daily necessities," he said in Parliament.

Since BR1M was initiated in 2012, a total of RM14bil was channeled to some 7.4mil eligible recipeints.

Chua said this did not include the RM100 school aid and the RM250 1Malaysia Book voucher programmes.

Chua dismissed a suggestion by Abdullah Sani (PKR-Kuala Langat) that the Government increased taxes or minimum wages as means to redistribute wealth to those in the B40 category.

He said any increase in taxes would only add pressure to the 1.7 million taxpayers.

Chua added that the Government had to consider the impact on small and medium entreprises if minimum wage was further increased.