PUTRAJAYA: Recipients of Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) can start shopping for essential items at 600 participating supermarkets, grocery shops and retail outlets.
Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said the retail outlets involved in the cashless aid for the hardcore poor are Mydin Hypermarket, 99Speedmart, Giant hypermarkets, Lotus, Econsave and others listed in the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah official (STR) website at bantuantunai.hasil.gov.my.
"The recipients only need to show their identification card (MyKad) when purchasing groceries.
"They are also allowed to make transactions at different outlets if the essential items they need are not in stock.
"There is a tracking system based on their MyKad to show how much balance is left. If there is a balance remaining, the amount will be carried forward to the next month," he said in a press conference after launching the Customs Department's Handholding, Indirect Tax and Voluntary Disclosure (VDP) programme here on Monday (July 17).
The RM600 aid will be distributed at a rate of RM100 a month from July to December for Peninsular Malaysia recipients; while for Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan, the aid will be credited in a lump sum to their Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) accounts.
For Peninsular Malaysia residents, the aid will be channelled automatically via MyKad, which will be used to open an account at the selected premises.
On Sunday (July 16), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that more than 210,000 recipients of STR will receive RM600 Sara cash aid to purchase essential items.
Anwar added that the government had allocated RM130mil under the Payung Rahmah initiative to help underprivileged groups who are struggling with the high cost of living.
The aid will be implemented starting Monday for recipients in Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan.
Recipients in Johor, Melaka, Perak, Pahang and Perlis are expected to receive the aid from July 31 while Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan will receive the aid on Aug 7.
Meanwhile, Ahmad said the Handholding VDP programme under the Customs Department managed to collect a total of RM5.57mil of indirect taxes from June 6 to July 15.
Ahmad, when launching the programme which started on June 1, said the initiative being rolled out the second time was aimed to increase compliance from taxpayers.
"For this year, we are targeting 2,000 applications with the estimation of RM200mil in tax collection under the programme from Customs," he said in a press conference.
In the Special Voluntary Disclosure Programme (SVDP) held last year, a total of 16,880 applications involving RM700mil were collected proving the initiative was a success.
The initiative from Customs also offered zero penalty fees, no compound fines as well as no audit penalty for voluntary applications from individuals and companies.
More information about the Sara aid implementation can be found at https://www.mykasih.com.my
