RM500 one-off aid for poor families to be disbursed from January

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government is considering disbursing in January the RM500 one-off cash aid to households earning RM3,000 and below a month, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin said Wednesday.

While there was no fixed time-frame for the payment, the disbursement would be made in stages from January onwards, he said.

"The disbursement will take effect from January next year," he told a media conferece after opening a national taxation seminar here.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the one-off payment when tabling the 2012 Budget in Parliament on Friday.

Awang Adek said the government had identified the probable agencies to be entrusted with the payment, with the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) being the lead agency.

Other agencies listed are Bank Negara Malaysia, Bank Simpanan Nasional Bhd and POS Malaysia Bhd, he said. - Bernama