At a joint press conference by Rehda and Rehda Institute on Thursday (Dec 16) titled "Current issues facing the marketing and sales of properties in Malaysia", he said: "In 2022, we still wouldn't be back to that level. So, given that the economic scenario is challenging, one of our major requests is to extend the Home Ownership Campaign (HOC), so that economic growth can continue and the sector can be supported in the coming year.

“If you look at the [recent] Budget, there are a lot of potential construction jobs but what we see is that there is some de-emphasis on the government in terms of mega projects like there is no mention of Mass Rapid Transit Line 3 (MRT3) for example. Secondly, a lot of the construction projects and the development expenditure (DE) most likely will benefit smaller non-listed players.

The Construction Industry Development Board's (CIDB) chief executive Datuk Ahmad Asri Abdul Hamid said a proactive approach has been taken by the Ministry of Works (MoW) through the CIDB to increase vaccination rates among construction workers.

Since the amendment of Act 446 came under en­forcement last year, there is a surge of demand on workers’ dormitories that fit the requirements. However, the main problem is there is not enough supply to meet the demand as the busi­ness owners did not expect the Act to be enforced on such short notice.

Dr Mahathir had questioned why Najib’s request for the RM100 million piece of land and house was not included in Budget 2022.

The MB said the state will also limit the sale of alcohol in rural parts of Kedah, saying demand for such beverages in these areas are low.

"The spirit of the tax (Prosperity Tax) is supposed to look at companies that have performed exceptionally well," said Deloitte Asia Pacific Tax Partner, Mark Chan.

In a report on Tuesday (Nov 9), Fitch said while this is largely aligned with the government’s revenue projection, its forecast reflects the likelihood for spending, especially on pandemic-related risks, to exceed the government’s projection, which sees a 6% fiscal deficit.

“The plan will build on what was achieved in the 11th Malaysia Plan and this will focus on growth and inclusivity."

Noor Hisham said the elective surgeries can wait, but the emergency and semi-emergency cases would be given priority.