Urban middle class 40% poorer? Prove it, academic told

 A former high-ranking finance ministry official has cast doubt on an academic’s claim that Malaysia’s urban middle class is 40% poorer, calling for him to prove such claims.

Speaking to FMT, Ramon Navaratnam, a former treasury deputy secretary-general said Universiti Sains Malaysia associate professor Shanker Chelliah’s assessment of the urban middle class’ economic position was “alarmist and dramatic”, since it was not backed up by research and statistics.

It’s true, middle class is poorer, says MTUC

 Malaysian workers have borne the cost of failed policies for decades, according to the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC).

“The question that needs to be answered: ‘Who has benefited?’ (from this approach),” it said in a statement.

Malaysian employers to pay levy of foreign workers from Jan 1

Malaysian employers will be responsible to pay the levy of foreign workers beginning Sunday, said the country’s home ministry.

Malaysian Home Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday said that employers would no longer be able to deduct the wages of their foreign workers for the levy.

Unions give nod, bosses slam new rule on levy

 Malaysia will lose out on some RM5 billion now that employers have to pay the foreign worker levy and not deduct it from the worker’s pay, the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) has said.

Speaking to FMT, executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said: “Before this, foreign workers would pay for their levies. Now that employers have to pay them, the foreign workers will remit the extra money saved back home.

Foreign worker levy: Employers cry foul over ruling

As much as RM5 billion could be sapped from the Malaysian economy every year if employers are required to pay the levy for hiring foreign workers. Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said he believed the new requirement, which took effect today, could result in employers incurring huge losses.