KUALA LUMPUR: The tabling of the 2023 Budget will take place on Oct 7, instead of Oct 28, as previously scheduled, confirmed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
The confirmation comes after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob earlier today said that the tabling of the annual supply bill would be done earlier and that the exact date would be announced by the minister in charge.
Wan Junaidi said the tabling will take place during the Third Meeting of the Fifth Session of the 14th Parliament (2022), which kicks off on Oct 3.
He added that the previous lower house of Parliament sitting would have seen the Dewan Rakyat meeting taking place between Oct 26 and Dec 15, lasting for 31 days, whereas the Dewan Negara sitting would have taken place between Dec 8 to 22 for nine days.
"The proposed new calendar is from Oct 3 to Nov 29 (32 days) for Dewan Rakyat and Nov 21 to Dec 7 (11 days) for Dewan Negara, 23 days earlier from the previous calendar," Wan Junaidi said in a statement.
He added that the changes were undertaken after the government needed to amend the calendar of the Third Meeting of Parliament to enable the tabling of the 2023 Supply Bill or 2023 Budget to be expedited.
"It is also to enable the tabling of the 2022 Supplementary Supply Bill and the Fiscal Responsibility Bill once the 2023 Supply Bill is approved in the Dewan Rakyat."
Wan Junaidi said the prime minister used his prerogative under Rule 11(2) and 10(2) of the Dewan Rakyat's Standing Order to amend the date from Oct 26 and brought it earlier to Oct 3.