(A) RM1.15bil Sarawakku Sayang Assistance Package by the Sarawak State Government
The Sarawak State Government has announced a RM1.15bil Sarawakku Sayang Assistance Package on 23rd March 2020 to protect the wellbeing of Sarawakians and local SMEs and to mitigate the impact of the MCO and the COVID-19 pandemic on all Sarawakians, the local SMEs and the State’s economy. The measures comprises:-
1. A discount of 5% to 25% on monthly electricity bills (depending on type of consumers as shown below) for domestic, commercial and industrial consumers in the State beginning April 2020 until September 2020.
TABLE 1:
Electricity Bill Discounts
2. A discount of 10% to 25% on water bills (depending on type of consumers as shown below) for domestic, commercial and industrial consumers in the State beginning April 2020 until September 2020.
Private dwelling purposes with no commercial or industrial activities in such premises
Customer on normal commercial business with applied load less than 1.5MVA. Example business at normal shophouses.
Customer on commercial business with applied load more than 1.5MVA. Without peak and off peak, billed with Maximum Demand / Contract Demand charges.
Customer on commercial business (operating 24 hrs a day) with applied load more than 1.5MVA. With peak and off peak, billed with Maximum Demand / Contract Demand charges.
Normal Industrial customer with applied load less than 1.5MVA
Customer on industrial business with applied load more than 1.5MVA. Without peak and off peak, billed with Maximum Demand/ Contract Demand charges.
Customer on industrial business (operating 24 hrs) with applied load more than 1.5MVA - with peak and off peak, billed with Maximum Demand / Contract Demand charges.
TABLE 2:
Water Bill Discounts
3. Six (6) months RM250 monthly cash pay-out under the Sarawakku Sayang Special Aid to 430,000 Sarawakians from the low-income category, the B40 group beginning April 2020.
4. Six (6) months Special Monthly Incentives for frontline personnel involved in COVID-19 as follows: -
i) RM300-00 special monthly incentive for medical frontliners in hospitals and clinics throughout Sarawak.
ii) RM200-00 special monthly incentive for Immigration officers manning the entry points throughout Sarawak.
iii) RM200-00 special monthly incentive for the police personnel and Bilik Gerakan Negeri officers throughout Sarawak working around the clock to ensure the safety and security of Sarawakians
5. A discount of 50% for rental of market and stalls under the purview of the Local Councils covering a period of six (6) months beginning April 2020 to September 2020.
6. of permits and licenses fees for hawkers and traders under the purview of the local authorities throughout the State.
7. A discount of 25% on annual assessment rate above RM400 threshold for residential, commercial, industrial and special purpose holdings for the year 2020.
8. Nine (9) months deferment of loan repayment for all SMEs under the State’s Skim Pinjaman Industri Kecil dan Sederhana (SPIKS) beginning April 2020.
9. RM50mil Micro Credit Scheme under the Sarawak State Government for all local SMEs to sustain their cash flow and businesses.
10. A discount of 30% for payments of land rents to all land uses in the State, i.e. residential, commercial, industrial, agriculture, large scale plantations and others in the year 2020.
11. A one-off deferment of land premium payment for the year 2020 which includes agriculture, residential, commercial, industrial as well as private and public institutions.
12. A one-off waiver for hotel licensing fees throughout the State for the year 2020.
13. 2 million pieces of face masks to be distributed free to Sarawakians through the State Disaster Management Committee.
14. RM10mil for providing urgent hospitals’ needs and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to the front liners involved in testing, diagnosis and treating of patients at risk of COVID-19.
15. RM1mil dedicated support of food supplies to the front liners involved in testing, diagnosis and treating of patients at risk of COVID-19.
16. A 50% discount of rental of Housing Development Corporation (HDC) units for six (6) months beginning April 2020 to September 2020.
(B) Sarawakku Sayang Assistance Package 2.0 for SMEs and Businesses by the Sarawak State Government
Subsequent to the Sarawakku Sayang Assistance Package announced by the Sarawak State Government on 23rd March 2020, the Sarawak State Government in consultation with SMEs stakeholders announced on 10th April 2020, a second aid package specifically for SMEs and micro SMEs in the State valued at RM1.1bil to ease the financial burden of the local SMEs, including micro SMEs as well as hawkers and petty traders. The measures are as follow: -
1. RM1bil allocation of 0% interest soft loans for SMEs in the State in collaboration with Maybank Berhad, Hong Leong Bank Berhad and RHB Bank Berhad under the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Special Relief Fund subject to the following conditions: -
i) Working capital/ loan amount to be based on 6 months’ total employees’ salary payment;
ii) Interest free loan amount from RM20,000-00 to a maximum of RM50,000-00;
iii) No collateral required;
iv) Sole proprietorship, partnership or private limited companies registered under the Companies Act with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM);
v) Business in operation three (3) years and more.
Applications can be made directly to the relevant banking institutions concerned and the full loan amount will be released to the SME concerned once the necessary documentations are completed.
2. Special Grant of RM1,500-00 to each hawker and/or petty trader registered with theState’s Local Authorities through Sarawak Pay in two (2) tranches. All hawkers and petty traders who are eligible but have yet to register with the Local Authorities in the State are required to register with the Local Authorities concerned by 31st May 2020.
For those hawkers and/or petty traders who do not have a Sarawak Pay account, payment will be made through Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN).
3. Abolishment of 2% interest rates to 0% for 42 months under the RM50mil Micro Credit Scheme for local SMEs (who operate less than 3 years) under the Ministry of International Trade & Industry, Industrial Terminal & Entrepreneur Development Sarawak (MINTRED) operated by Agro Bank Berhad and Sarawak Economic Development Council (SEDC) with a maximum financing amount of RM50,000-00 at 0% interest rate up to a maximum of 42 months. Applications can be made directly to Agro Bank Berhad or SEDC.
4. A six (6) months waiver of rentals for SMEs in the retail sector which are operating on premises owned by State Government’s Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) such as SEDC, Land Custody Development Authority (LCDA) and Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) beginning April 2020.
[1] Private dwelling purposes with no commercial or industrial activities in such premises [2] Customer on normal commercial business with applied load less than 1.5MVA. Example business at normal shophouses. [3] Customer on commercial business with applied load more than 1.5MVA. Without peak and off peak, billed with Maximum Demand / Contract Demand charges. [4] Customer on commercial business (operating 24 hrs a day) with applied load more than 1.5MVA. With peak and off peak, billed with Maximum Demand / Contract Demand charges. [5] Normal Industrial customer with applied load less than 1.5MVA [6] Customer on industrial business with applied load more than 1.5MVA. Without peak and off peak, billed with Maximum Demand/ Contract Demand charges. [7] Customer on industrial business (operating 24 hrs) with applied load more than 1.5MVA - with peak and off peak, billed with Maximum Demand / Contract Demand charges.
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