What has concerned you most over the previous week? Is it the MCA's dramatic great unity or the shocking Auditor-General Report 2008?

The MCA crisis is still full of variables while the Auditor-General's Report is just a toothless tiger.

To be realistic, let's focus on the budget.

You and I are most concerned about income tax. Personal relief has been increased to RM9000, instead of the more reasonable RM12,000. Wife relief remains RM3000 while relief for children below 18 is still RM1000. Although the ridiculous figure game is still ridiculous, a little is better than none. Just take it as a consolation.

As for the maximum income tax rate for individuals which will be reduced to 26% from assessment year 2010, it is none of my business as it is a good news only for reach people.

Meanwhile, only 15% income tax will be imposed on Malaysians and foreign knowledge workers residing in Iskandar Malaysia and working in qualifying activities. It seems to contrary to the “1Malaysia” concept. For us, the “no knowledge workers”, will have no chance to enjoy it!

It does have good news but they seem irrelevant to the general public, while the bad news are closely related to us.

The most unbelievable news would be, beginning 1 Jan next year, all credit and charge cards with annual fees waived will be charged annual service taxes of RM50 per principal card and RM25 for each supplementary card. So ordinary people like you and me can avoid using credit cards. Let's just throw all the cards away!

Thinking about withdrawing money from the EPF second account to buy another house and gain benefits by selling real property? Wait a minute! The government will charge 5% tax on gains from disposal of real property from 1 Jan. You should think twice before selling your house.

Also, the government is going to adjust the fuel subsidy mechanism starting next year and only the designated groups will be able to enjoy fuel subsidy, meaning that there is a great possibility for higher fuel prices.

Benefits in the education field do worth a praise at first glance. But the measures to convert PTPTN loans to scholarships for first class honours degree undergraduates do not fill the hunger of the majority families that having “middle-class students” at home.

When they are tightening belts to reduce the budget deficit to 5.6%, the huge amount of civil servants, which makes up about 10%, or 1.22 million of Malaysia's workforce, particularly those wastrels who have been unmasked by the Auditor-General's Report, are still extravagantly spending and wasting our money. The general public are groaning while wondering why they still remain out of the law's reach?

If political aspirations are more than economic considerations, if slogans are more than actions, if corrupt officials still do as they wish, if the executive team is still bloated, if the economic pie is still unevenly distributed, no matter how impressive the budget seems to be, it will still lack of inner beauty and unattainable.

Get out of the political myth and be fair. The general public is still hoping for that while the government must work harder to achieve it! (By LIM MUN FAH/Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/Sin Chew Daily)