What's in the Budget for ME?

Malaysia, 2008. The Finance Minister has just read out the 2009 budget ...

I recall vaguely when I was younger. The budget speech was something that you would try to catch on the telly, or at the very least on the radio. There were always new incentives, a central theme if you may, to spur the economy. For the entire economy, mind you - not just parts of the economy in isolation … as seems to be the current practice.

In the past, everyone seemed to benefit from the budget.

Ah, seemed to benefit from the budget. Maybe things haven’t really changed. Maybe it’s just the delivery system … less smoke and mirrors perhaps?

From where I stand, it looks as if certain quarters stand to benefit more than others. Wonder what the agenda is behind that. And who exactly are these? The lower income group, pensioners, teachers ... see a trend here? Yeah, government servants.

I’m not anti-anything. Just a disappointed person picking up his pay-check, only to realise that for the middle-income-earner from Petaling Jaya, this would hardly suffice. For employers, there was a bunch of benefits to help them retain talent and mitigate expenses, but not much for the actual employees.

For the average wage earner like myself, nothing much. Rising costs, not much in terms of tax relief ... unlike the proposed additional benefits to people working for the government. Should I start regretting joining the private sector? Working my butt off trying to eek out a better life? Only to be slammed in the face by 'unfreindly' policies ... oh well, no use griping about it, huh.

Really, you expected something better? More breaks for private sector employees? Oh my, don’t you have an active imagination.

Was it really better in the past? Or do we just come from a race that simply does not have the good sense to be thankful for what we get, instead of constantly criticizing everything and anything. Or is this simply a matter of looking back through rose coloured glasses …

Are things really that much worse now … or does it just seem to be?

Back to current day, September 2008, not long after the 2009 budget presentation. Here I am finally thinking of looking through the budget summary. Then again, if everything is just going to seem worse … why bother?