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Malaysia is offering a tax exemption for women who return to work in 2019 – and it could last for a whole year
If you’re a Malaysian woman who is currently unemployed, this could be your calling to get back into the workforce.
Beginning next year, the Government will give individual tax exemptions of up to 12 months to women who return to work, Bernama has reported.
Human Resources Minister M. Kula Segaran was quoted by the news website as saying: “So if you know a woman, whether your friend or your wife who is thinking of making that return, tell them that they should not wait anymore.
“We want our women to come back to work, as the country needs them.”
The minister added that Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp) would be supervising the tax exemption programme.
According to TalentCorp, Malaysia experiences a single peak phenomenon in its female labour force participation rate: When Malaysian women leave the workforce, they tend not to return – unlike in countries such as Japan and Korea, where women return to work after a break.
And apparently, the lack of women returning to work is hindering Malaysia’s economic progress.
“Women make up half of Malaysia’s population and almost half of the national workforce and if more women join the workforce, the gross domestic product has the potential to increase to between RM6 billion to RM9 billion (US$1.4 billion to US$2.2 billion),” Bernama quoted M. Kula Segaran as saying during a speech at the TalentCorp Life at Work 2018 Awards on Monday (Nov 26).
TalentCorp’s 2013 report revealed that 93 per cent of female respondents on a career break said they considered re-entering the workforce. However, 63 per cent also said that it was difficult do this.
“The key to attracting and keeping these women at work is to offer good work-life practices, including flexible working arrangements and supportive family-friendly practices,” Malay Mail quoted the minister as saying.
According to Malay Mail, the minister added that his ministry was committed to introducing balanced work-life practices throughout the country together with the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry and TalentCorp.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.sg/malaysia-is-offering-a-tax-exemption-for-women-who-return-to-work-in-2019-and-it-could-last-for-as-long-as-1-year/