Tax Reliefs For Year Of Assessment 2016 (Tax Filed In 2017)

What is a income tax relief? Tax reliefs are set by LHDN, where a taxpayer is able to deduct a certain amount for money expended in that assessment year, from the total annual income. These are for certain activities or behaviours that the government encourages or even necessities or burdens to lighten our financial loads.

For income tax Malaysia, tax reliefs can help reduce your chargeable income, and thus your taxes. If planned properly, you can save a significant amount of taxes.

In our example, a taxpayer would have been taxed about 10% of his total chargeable income of RM84,300 if he had claimed no tax reliefs at all.

However, with the self & dependent tax relief of RM9,000, life insurance & EPF relief at RM6,000, his total chargeable income is now RM69,300, hence, he would only be taxed about 8% of his chargeable income.

10 Little Stories About the True Power of Love

Sometimes, life produces the kinds of situations and events that no Hollywood scriptwriter could ever dream up. Comical, ambiguous, unpredictable, tragic — life is such a multifaceted thing. But whatever happens, there’s always space for love, kindness, happy occurrences, and simple wonder.

We at gathered together 10 powerful stories that will hit you right in the heart.

11 Of The Most Breathtaking Travel Photos Of The Year

The Siena International Photo Awards recently announced the winners of their annual international photography contest and the results are stunning. With submissions from over 100 countries from Turkey to Myanmar, professional and amateur photographers competed for awards in several categories including architecture, nature, and of course travel. Top honors went to French photographer, Greg Lacoeur, who won the SIPAContest Photo Of The Year with his amazing underwater capture of the sardine migration in South Africa.

All of the winning photos are currently on display at the Siena Art Photo Travel Festival, currently being held in the city of Siena, Italy from now until November 30. But if you can't make it to Italy this month check out Lacoeur's incredible photo and a few more of our favorite award winners and honorable mentions from the contest below.

A place in Malaysia you’ve probably never heard of : Bau, Sarawak

The people that live there

There are over 40 sub-ethnic groups in Sarawak and three main linguistic groups: Biatah, Singai-Jagoi, and Bukar and Sadong. In the Bau region located about 40 minutes from Kuching, the major sub-ethnic group are the Singai-Jagoi Bidayuhs. Bidayuh, which translates to ‘people of the land’, were formerly known as the Land Dayaks and they make up the second largest native ethnic group in Sarawak after the Ibans.

People of the Bidayuh tribe during the Gawai Dayak festival | Photo credit: CHEN WS / Shutterstock.com

Tribes in the Bau region are believe to have come from West Kalimantan some 700 years ago. In particular, the Jagoi-Bratak people chose to settle on top of Mount Bratak where they felt it was safe, and that actually held true for quite some time as the settlement was well fortified and flourished.

Best secondhand and rental bookstores in KL

Do you prefer your books to have a bit of character? Roll up your sleeves and score a literary gem or two at these top secondhand and rental bookstores in KL. 

Jumble Station

Jumble Station is a community outreach initiative by the NGO Parents Without Borders to help raise funds for single parents. There’s a small corner in the shop that sells secondhand books which were donated by the public. Get three books for RM10, two for RM8 and one for RM5.

Address:

	The School Jaya One 72A Jalan Universiti Petaling Jaya 46200
Opening hours:	Daily, 10.30am-8pm

Will You Be Able To Keep Your Home If You Lose Your Job?

After saving for years to buy your home, it seems too careless to lose it because of disability, illness or retrenchment. If you don’t have a plan B for these instances, how will you be able to make your home loan repayments?

Disability and death are covered by Mortgage Level Term Asssurance (MLTA) or Mortgage Reducing Term Assurance (MRTA), but what about retrenchment?

If the word ‘retrenchment’ doesn’t send chills down your spine, the stats below would likely make you shudder.

From January to September 2015 alone, more than 20,000 employees lost their jobs in Malaysia, and the retrenchment trend is expected to continue in 2017.  The truth is, job security is not what it used to be, and if you are unfortunate enough to be retrenched by your employer, getting another job immediately may not be as easy as well.

Hiring has also slowed significantly. Monster, a global online employment firm, said its year-over-year study of job postings on the Internet showed a 39% drop across all occupations and sectors in Malaysia.

Even jobs in the public sector were also harder to come by as the government froze hiring of civil servants except for critical positions last year.

Reduce High Blood Pressure (And Solve Many Other Problems) with This Ayurvedic Remedy

Ayurveda is one of the oldest forms of traditional healing on the planet, and it originates from India. It is actually an age-old Hindu art of medicine and prolonging of life with the help of proper diet, herbal remedies and yogic breathing. Ayurvedic treatments are some of the most trusted and highly effective means of attaining healing and wellbeing naturally these days.

There is a particular Ayurvedic remedy for high blood pressure that is revered for its ability to manage the problem. It has been employed by many for a long time already that it’s even found in India’s historical records of traditional medicine. What’s so nice about this remedy is you can easily obtain the ingredients at your favorite supermarket. Without having to comb the entire city just to come across health food stores offering products related to Ayurveda and other traditional forms of medicine, it is trouble-free to take advantage of this powerful and effective remedy for high blood pressure.

BR1M : For The Better Or Worse?

1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) programme was first devised by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2012 as part of the Government’s effort to ease the burden of the lower income group in Malaysia. This programme was devised to help the lower income group cushion the high cost of living in Malaysia. BR1M is also part of the Government’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) to turn Malaysia into a high income nation.

It was not surprising, though disappointing to hear that BR1M will be continued in Budget 2016, even with 95% of respondents we polled who received BR1M said that the amount is not enough to cover the rising cost of living. So, why does the Government continue to give handouts to the low income group?

Let’s start with why it is actually a good idea.

Why You Should Be Writing Down Your Goals

Why You Should Be Writing Down Your Goals

We hear a lot about the importance of goal-setting but most of us don’t have clear and measurable goals to work toward. Lewis Carroll says, “Any road will get you there, if you don’t know where you are going,” but how important are goals really and if they are vital, how can we make them most effective?

According to a study done by Gail Matthews at Dominican University, those who wrote down their goals accomplished significantly more than those who did not write down their goals. Who doesn’t want to accomplish significantly more? Here are four steps to creating clear and measurable goals that will lead you to huge success.

How Much Do Top Politicians In Malaysia Earn?

“I am one of the best paid and probably one of the poorest of the Third World prime ministers,” Lee Kuan Yew, the late minister mentor of Singapore was once quoted.

The saying of “if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys,” is also undeniable. To get good quality people, you need to pay for it. However, paying high does not always guarantee good quality people.

Prior to the amendments to the Members of Parliament (Remuneration) (Amendment) Act on April 10, 2015, members of the parliament (MPs) in Malaysia were paid RM4,112 a month, excluding allowances.

Some of the allowances claimable by MPs are:

• Entertainment allowance – up to RM2,500
• Fuel allowance – up to RM1,500
• Toll allowance – up to RM300

Is The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Good For Malaysia?

So, what exactly is the TPP Agreement? The TPP is a proposed regional regulatory and investment treaty aimed at creating a platform for economic integration across the Asia Pacific region.

The proposed agreement originated in 2005 as the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPSEP or P4), and included just New Zealand, Chile, Singapore and Brunei.

It was the United States’ (US) participation and its subsequent dominant role in the negotiations of the partnership that resulted in the expansion of its membership, as well as having a primary role in its agenda setting.

How does it affect Malaysia?

Malaysia joined the TPP in 2010 and is expected to increase its GDP by 5.6% and also its export by 11.9% by year 2025.

The industries most likely to benefit from the pact are textiles, apparel, commodities and electronics.

The New Age Magazine and Occult Explanations of the Great Seal

I‘ve recently acquired sixty issues of The New Age Magazine, spanning the years 1968-73. The New Age Magazine was “the official organ of the Supreme Council 33°, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Southern Jurisdiction.” The magazine was inaugurated in 1904 and still continues today. In 1990, however, the title of the publication was changed to the Scottish Rite Journal—probably in an effort to distance themselves from being identified with the New Age Movement. In any case, the original name for the magazine alludes to those same esoteric yearnings of the socialist utopians and occult theosophists at the turn of the 20th century. They believed that the world was on the cusp of a New Age of enlightenment. The Age of Aquarius was about to begin; occultists had generally agreed that a shift in consciousness was imminent, and the transformation of society—based upon a masonic ideal—would soon be realized. It is thus appropriate that Grand Commander George Moore, in 1904, named the magazine after the “rite of perfection” conferred on those who partake in the ritual of the 18th degree, the Rose Croix. Candidates who pass through this degree symbolically ascend the mystic ladder from darkness to glory and perfection. The Rose Croix degree, in turn, refers to the 17th Century mystic secret society of adepts, the Rosicrucians, who themselves called for a new age. They practiced the transformation of self through an amalgam of rituals involving hermeticism, gnosticism, alchemy and the kabbalah.

Video | Adele - Hello

Hello | Adele 

Hello, it's me
I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet
To go over everything
They say that time's supposed to heal ya, but I ain't done much healing
Hello, can you hear me?

Check out Sheila Majid’s new song, Sinaran Cinta

Stop what you’re doing and check out the latest single from one of Malaysia’s most beloved singers, Datuk Sheila Majid.

Video | Sheila Majid - Sinaran Cinta

SINARAN CINTA nyanyian Sheila Majid ini merupakan lagu tema untuk filem muzikal "Sinaran" yang akan ditayangkan di pawagam pada 26 November 2015.

Malaysia is world’s second most expensive country to buy cars

Due to the unique structure on how cars in Malaysia is priced, there's no doubt that Malaysians fork a lot of money and a longer loan duration in order to purchase a car. Many people thought Malaysia is the most expensive country on this planet to buy a car, and worse, we need cars to travel around since the public transport is still at abysmal state.

Sucks to be a Malaysian car buyer? Think again

Zaid Ibrahim On Tun Dr Mahathir

The following is the transcript of Zaid Ibrahim's speech given at the Royal Selangor Club luncheon. It is also on Zaid's Blog here:

Thank you, Mr President, for allowing me the opportunity to speak to members of the Royal Selangor Club about what lies ahead for the country. I was once a member of this special Club. I have fond memories of the Long Bar as a special meeting place for lawyers and businessmen, where good spirits and conversation could always be found.

Today we have a Prime Minister who is not only embroiled in a financial scandal the magnitude of which the world has not seen before – he has also deliberately obstructed the machinery of Government from carrying out its duties.

The Government of Malaysia is today run by Prime Minister Najib Razak’s lackeys, and he himself has become dangerous as a leader of this nation.

‘Kau Tunggu Nasib Kau, Tasha Shilla’ – Carmen

Nama Tasha Shilla tak pernah pudar dari dunia kontroversi. Ada sahaja benda yang membuatkan nama dia melonjak naik lagi. Sekarang ni heboh kes terbaru pula tentang Tasha Shilla yang dikatakan sanggup upah orang untuk belasah bekas kekasihnya, Hans Wong!

5 Filem permainan video terbaik

Aksi mengacu senjata adalah gaya Agent 47 (Rupert Friend) dalam babak "Hitman: Agent 47"

Apabila permainan video popular "Hitman" ke layar perak pada tahun 2007, pelbagai reaksi dilontarkan oleh penonton. Walaupun filem ini berjaya, namun ia gagal untuk muncul dengan sekuel. Sebaliknya filem tersebut di 'reboot' dengan pelakon Rupert Friend yang popular dengan siri TV "Homeland" diberi tanggungjawab untuk menggantikan Timothy Olyphant sebagai pembunuh upahan Agent 47. 

Dengan filem terbaru "Hitman : Agent 47" ditayangkan di layar perak, mari lihat senarai lima filem terbaik dari tahun 90an yang diangkat dari permainan video popular.

Those masked men among us

Pretentious people with masks are all around us. Can we not see them? Or do we choose not to?

Lately there are so many people masking themselves, pretending to be who they are not.

Did you hear about the lady in Algeria who was sued by her husband because she wasn’t who she pretended to be? The husband thought he had married a beautiful, gorgeous woman but once those inches of foundation and make-up came off, he got a fright looking at what was left of her.

If you remember, there was also a case of a man in China who sued his wife for failing to disclose that she had undergone a series of plastic surgeries prior to marriage. He claimed to have fathered three ‘ugly’ children due to his wife’s ‘cheating’ .