ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Johor state government today tabled its 2025 Budget totalling RM1.999 billion.
Themed 'Maju Johor, Rakyat Sejahtera', the budget marked an increase from the RM1.799 billion allocated for this year.
Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said Johor is set to make history with a projected revenue of RM2.005 billion this year, the first time it recorded a revenue of more than RM2 billion.
He said Johor also recorded a RM5.12 million budget surplus, the state's third year in a row.
"For 2025, state revenue is forecast at RM2.005 billion, a RM201 million increase or 11 per cent, compared to this year.
"Spending is projected to amount to RM1.999 billion.
"RM1.271 billion is allocated to operational expenditure while RM278 million is for development expenditure.
"The Johor 2025 Budget tabled today will focus on six thrusts of the Maju Johor Agenda involving economic development, education, healthcare, affordable housing, infrastructure, and efforts to strengthen religion as well as developing competitive youth, with 2454 initiatives," he said.
Onn Hafiz was speaking at the budget tabling at the Bangunan Sultan Ismail, here today.
Johor, he said, drew RM113.7 billion in investments this year, generating more than 35,000 new job opportunities.
He said the federal government in September had also launched the Incentive Package for the Special Financial Zone (SFZ), based in Forest City.
"By the year-end, the Malaysian and Singapore governments will also ink an agreement on the implementation of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) which is expected to create around 100,000 job opportunities.
"Johor's economy continues to show encouraging performance, with 4.1 per cent economic growth in 2023.
"This surpassed the national growth level of 3.6 per cent, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of RM148.2 billion in 2023 compared to RM142.4 billion in 2022," he said.