My Reality Bites

NOT THE RIGHT DECISION

PIC: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employees_Provident_Fund

If the employee's EPF contributions to be reduced from 11% to 8%, the amount after retirement will be lesser. In the long run, it will not help to ease the burden because after the employee's retirement, these folks need to allocate the money for children further education and regular medical aid. Let’s say each employee’s wages roughly about RM1000 monthly, the contributions made by the employees annually will be around:

RM1320 for 11% (then)
RM960 for 8% (now)
Difference between 11% and 8% = RM360 per year

This means employees contribute RM360 lesser per year

If the total working years are 36 years and without increment = RM360 x 36 years
= RM12 960

This means the sum of RM12 960 will not be added on their EPF after retirement. This amount means a lot for low wages earners. Please look at the bigger picture and not the short term solutions. Hope other ways will be used to support and help them.

In another case, I heard the government workers or servants are to be given second chance to either select EPF or retirement scheme for those who regretted in selecting EPF's scheme where does not provide half of the month's pay and health assist after retirement. It's unfair for those have select retirement scheme the very first place. Most would select EPF's scheme due to get larger amount after retirement (also as savings purposes) where later felt it was a wrong decision. What really went wrong is when their spouse seeks for divorce where each selected different scheme. To overcome this problem from existing again, time and time should there be seminar and forum to be discussed or provided for government workers or servants before the forms of selections of the schemes are given to them.

The website to EPF sucks. What do I mean by that? Try to surf www.kwsp.gov.my/index.php?tpl_id=994&act=signin and all you will get is this message Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage

Refer to: thestar.com.my

Workers and employers rail against EPF directive

PETALING JAYA: EPF’s move requiring contributors who wish to maintain their existing contribution at 11% to fill up a form has drawn protests from employee and employer associations.
Cuepacs and Fomca regard EPF’s arrangement as tantamount to forcing workers to comply, while the MTUC and Malaysian Employers’ Federation (MEF) feel it implies that the move was mandatory instead of voluntary.
“This seems like force. Those who are interested to reduce their contribution should fill up the form; not the other way round,” said Cuepacs president Omar Osman.
Omar said he believed the majority of contributors from the private sector were not in favour of the move and called on the EPF to come up with the best arrangement that benefited workers for their long-term investments.
According to an EPF statement on Thurs­day, contributors who wished to maintain their 11% contribution rate were required to fill up Form KWSP 17A (AHL) and hand it to their employers for submission to the EPF.
EPF will automatically adjust employees’ contribution to 8% from January if they failed to fill the form.
On Nov 4, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced a voluntary reduction of employees’ contribution from 11% to 8% as part of the Government’s stimulus package for the economy.
Fomca secretary-general Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah said: “Automatic reduction cannot be regarded as voluntary. The principles of justice should be applied as promised because the change is voluntary.
“Those who want to maintain it at 11% should not be required to apply.”
MTUC deputy president Mohd Khalid Atan said EPF’s directive was not practical.