All eligible and qualified recipients will receive their financial assistance in 2 phases

by AFIQ AZIZ/ pic by TMR FILE

QUALIFIED and eligible recipients for the Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN) economic stimulus package must ensure that they are registered with the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).

According to the Finance Ministry (MoF), this does not apply for those who have already registered for Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH).

MoF said the money assistance of up to RM1,600 for the B40 (bot- tom 40%) household income group and the maximum of RM1,000 for M40 (middle 40%) household will only be wired to the bank accounts registered under the BSH scheme and the tax collector respectively.

“For those who have yet to register, new applications can be made starting tomorrow through the official IRB website — www.hasil.gov.my.

“The public can also contact MoF or IRB on their hotlines or other channels,” the ministry said.

The RM10 billion allocated financial aid will be made in two phases — by the end of next month and in May 2020.

IRB said the BPN database will be based on the list of approved BSH recipients (for B40) and the list of income taxpayers (for M40) who meet the BPN designated income criteria.

The authority added that if the fund failed to be wired to the B40 account holders, the beneficiaries will have to collect the money at Bank Simpanan Nasional branches.

“For the M40 aid’s receivers, the assistance will be channelled to the bank account registered in their tax declaration form which can be accessed through IRB online portal,” IRB said.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the RM250 billion economic stimulus package is to revive the economy that has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The largest stimulus package since the global financial crisis of 2008/2009 covers wide-ranging measures that include direct cash payout to affected citizens, discounted rates for basic necessities, subsidies and incentives, as well as loan moratorium.

The package involves RM128 billion for households, RM100 billion to support businesses including small and medium enterprises, and RM2 billion to strengthen the economy — in addition to the RM20 billion previously announced.

Of the total, about RM10 billion under BPN will be disbursed in stages to individuals and families depending on income levels.

For the B40 households with a monthly income of less than RM4,000, they will receive cash assistance of RM1,600, while single individuals above 21 years old with an income of less than RM2,000 a month will be eligible to receive a payment of RM800.

The B40 household qualifiers are those who are married or single mother/father who registered their child’s information through the BSH 2020 application.

Meanwhile, the B40 single individuals include single mothers or fathers who did not report their child’s information in the 2020 BSH scheme.

The B40 family will receive RM1,000 in April and RM600 in May, while individuals will receive RM500 and RM300 in the respective months.

On the other hand, the M40 household group, whose income is between RM4,000 and RM8,000, will receive RM500 in the first phase, while the remaining in the second phase.

The M40 singles, who earn between RM2,000 and RM4,000 a month, will be credited with RM250 for each batch of payment.

The M40 receivers will be assessed according to the IRB database through their income tax declaration.

MoF also reminds the public to be vigilant and only check with the authorised sources on the government’s aid.

“We would like to remind the public not to fall victim to scammers over the Prihatin Nasional packages.

“Refer all enquiries to official sources and do not give out your personal details to any third party,” the ministry added.