Kerajaan dijangka benarkan pekerja kurangkan caruman KWSP

Kerajaan akan memfokus kepada usaha menambah hasil dan meningkatkan aliran tunai pasaran dalam pengubahsuaian Bajet 2016 yang dijangka diumumkan pada 28 Januari ini.

Nanyang Siangpau melaporkan antara yang bakal diumumkan dalam pengubahsuaian Bajet 2016 ialah membenarkan pekerja mengurangkan caruman Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) sebanyak dua peratus.

Pada ketika ini, majikan dan pekerja perlu mencarum masing-masing pada kadar 13 dan 11 peratus.

Kerajaan pada 2008 juga pernah membenarkan caruman pekerja dikurangkan, tetapi langkah itu mendapat sambutan yang kurang memberangsangkan.

Selain KWSP, Nanyang Siangpau melaporkan kerajaan juga bakal membenarkan majikan berhenti mencarum kepada Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial (Perkeso) buat sementara waktu, tetapi pekerja perlu meneruskan caruman.

"Pekerja akan tetap menikmati perlindungan Perkeso seperti biasa," demikian menurut akhbar itu.

Dengan langkah mengenai KWSP dan Perkeso yang diperkenalkan, ia dijangka dapat meningkatkan pendapatan boleh guna rakyat selain menambah aliran tunai dalam pasaran.

Selain itu, kerajaan juga dijangka melaksana langkah lain untuk meningkatkan aliran tunai dalam kalangan syarikat.

"Salah satu cara yang mungkin dilaksana ialah membenarkan majikan berhenti untuk menyumbang ke dalam Dana Pembangunan Sumber Manusia (HRDF) dan Lembaga Pembangunan Industri Pembinaan (CIDB) buat sementara waktu.

Dalam pada itu, kerajaan juga mungkin mengemaskan pelaksanaan zon perdagangan bebas dan melancarkan skim pengampunan khusus untuk syarikat yang lari cukai bagi menambahkan hasil kerajaan.

Skim pengampunan bertujuan menggalakkan peniaga yang tertinggal melakukan pengisytiharan atau pernah melakukan kesalahan supaya menyerah diri.

Di bawah skim tersebut, peniaga hanya perlu membayar cukai yang belum dijelaskan tanpa dikenakan penalti.

Sebelum cukai barang dan perkhidmatan (GST) dilaksanakan, peniaga dilaporkan sering menggunakan 'kemahiran perakaunan' untuk mengelak cukai jualan.

Sementara itu, walaupun terdapat ura-ura bahawa jualan minyak RON95 mungkin akan dikenakan GST, tetapi keadaan itu dijangka tidak berlaku selepas mengambil kira pertimbangan politik.

How to Lose 20 Pounds of Fat in One Month Without Exercise

Often we vow to lose 20 pounds before a special occasion, only to find the date crept up on us and the pounds are still there. As a last-minute resort, it is possible to lose 20 pounds in one month without exercising. While one does need to err on the side of caution when employing any kind of crash diet in order to not immediately regain the weight, by following these steps it is quite possible to rapidly lose those pesky 20 pounds.

Things You'll Need

• Food diary
• Fruit
• Scale

• Low-calorie foods
• L-Carnitine Supplement
• L-Glutamine Supplement

 

Instructions

Maintain a low-calorie diet of no more than 1,100 calories per day. While this may be hard, you have to burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight.

John Foxx/Stockbyte/Getty Images

Instructions

Eat four or five small meals per day instead of three large ones. This keeps your metabolism going all day long and gets you visually accustomed to smaller portions.

Instructions

Reach for fruit when looking for a low-calorie snack. Not only will fruit, such as apples, offer your body much needed fiber, but it also fills you up fast without costing you many precious calories.

Instructions

Drink at least 10 to 12 glasses of water per day. Cut out all non-diet soft drinks, juice, milk, sweetened iced tea and alcohol. These drinks are empty calories you consume, since they are highly caloric and do not offer much nutritional value. If more variety is needed, diet soda, unsweetened tea and black coffee are also allowable low-calorie options.

Instructions

Track everything you eat and drink with a food diary. Doing this while dieting not only gives you an simple way to keep track and total your daily caloric intake; it also ensures that you consume enough water.

Instructions

Take a daily supplement, such as the amino acid L-glutamine, to help ease hunger and cravings. Also, add L-carnitine daily to speed up fat burning.

Instructions

Limit weighing yourself to only once per week. Weighing yourself more than that usually discourages people when they are not losing weight fast enough.

Instructions

Take a multivitamin daily when dieting. This helps to make sure that your body is still getting what it needs, even though you may be consuming a reduced amount of calories.

Tiramisu: A Traditional Italian Dessert

When was the last time you went to an Italian restaurant and didn’t see tiramisu on the menu? Although its origin and ingredients may be shrouded in mystery, tiramisu has been a mainstay of restaurant dessert menus for the last 20 years. Described by some as a “very light chocolate pudding” and others as “fluffy coffee-flavored goodness,” tiramisu has been said to have a personality of its own. But, after the wonderfully sweet coffee flavors have drifted from the palette, many tiramisu-lovers are left asking questions like “Where did tiramisu originally come from?” “What exactly does the name mean?” and “Where can I find an easy tiramisu recipe?” Well, like all mysteries, this one has been solved, so continue reading in order to learn about this classic dessert.

What is Tiramisu?

                      
Tiramisu is a type of Italian dessert that is primarily flavored with coffee and, sometimes, rum or other types of liquor. Nowadays, there are as many varieties of tiramisu as there are myths about its origin. Classic tiramisu is made by soaking ladyfingers or other types of dry sponge cake in espresso coffee. The soaked sponge cake is then layered with mascarpone and zabaglione – a type of Italian whipped custard made from marsala wine, eggs and sugar. The finished tiramisu dessert is then sprinkled with cocoa powder or chocolate flakes.

Of course, as with any iconic dessert, there are a number of variations of the classic recipe. Some people like to sprinkle biscotti throughout the layers to add a bit of crunch; others like to substitute ricotta cheese for the traditional mascarpone. Some chefs like to stamp their own heritage onto the dessert.

13 Simple Ways to Improve Your English

Go to any city in the world, whether it’s Beijing, Dubai or even Harare in Zimbabwe, and you’re likely able to communicate with the locals in English.

Not only that, English is also the primary language used by many companies in Malaysia, so your employment may very well depend on how proficient you are in English. In fact, according to a survey by JobStreet, having a good command in the English language is one of the top deciding factors when hiring fresh graduates.

So, what do you do if your English isn’t that great? Is there a way to improve your English without spending thousands of ringgit on language classes?

We’ve scoured the depths of the internet to find the best resources for you. Here are thirteen ways for you to improve your English — all without spending a single sen!

1) Surround yourself with English

Put yourself in an English-speaking environment so that you can learn passively through listening. College is a great time for you to break barriers, so don’t just stick to familiar friends. Make new friends who speak mostly in English, join college clubs & societies that conduct their activities in English, and most importantly — don’t be shy and just converse in English!

2) Learn one new word each day

Don’t learn ten or twenty words a day — learn just one. This isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. Once you’ve learnt the word, keep using it throughout the day in your conversations with friends and family for the day, even if it sounds as ridiculous as, “You’re so funny, I can’t stop cachinnating.” (It means laugh loudly, by the way).

Here are some of our favourite “learn a word a day” sites:

• Dictionary.com
• WordThink
• The Learning Network on The New York Times

3) Read, read and read some more!

There’s no running from it — if you want to improve your English, reading is key. Start with the newspaper, or any online site with topics that you find interesting, whether it’s the latest tech news, football, or even gardening! Try reading fictional novels too, which will expose you to a different style of writing. Sites like Project Gutenberg offer a wide range of free e-books.

4) Practise English with a friend

Doing it with a friend always makes things easier, since you will hold each other accountable if one person is slacking off. Speak to each other in English frequently and don’t be afraid to correct one another. To make things more interesting, you can even have an embarrassing punishment for the person who skips out on tasks the most often, like missing to learn a word a day!

5) Listen to English radio stations

FlyFM, Hitz.FM and RedFM are some of the most popular English radio stations in Malaysia. By tuning into these English radio stations, you can train your listening skills and learn how English sentences are constructed. Most of the deejays are entertaining to listen to as well, so you’ll be having some fun at the same time!

6) Pay attention to your surroundings

Whenever you are out and about, take note of all the billboards, posters and signboards that are around you. Advertisements are particularly great because they often use catchy phrases to attract your attention. When you’re in the supermarket, mentally identify the items on display in English. If you don’t know what something is, remember to jot it down and find out later!

7) Start your own blog

Love food? Start a food blog! Know or thing or two about gadgets? Write about that! Writing down your thoughts, ideas and opinions will not only improve your English, but also help you articulate and structure what’s on your mind. It doesn’t matter if it’s about your daily agenda or the most random of topics, keep practising your writing by blogging about your interests!

8) Learn English through song lyrics

There’s no better way to learn while having some fun! Pick your favourite tune, look up the lyrics online and sing along! Songs are great way to learn a new language (not just English!) becausethey contain useful vocabulary and lots of everyday words and phrases, so you won’t be stuck learning words that no one uses anymore. Phrases that are learnt through songs tend to stick better too, because of the catchy tune that comes with it.

Pro Tip: LyricsTraining is a great site where you can choose your favourite song, and while the song is playing, you need to fill in the blanks. It’s a fun way to practise your listening skills!

9) Record yourself speaking

You probably know how English words are supposed to sound like, but do you know how it sounds when they come out of your mouth? Words may sound a little different because you may not be pronouncing words properly. Record yourself reading an article or a book, and go back and listen to what you said, making sure you notice your strengths and weaknesses.

10) Watch movies and TV shows

Movies and TV shows (or even YouTube videos) are a great way to improve your English, and have fun at the same time! Films and videos are usually made for native speakers, so you’ll be hearing the English language just as how you would in real life — spoken quickly with lots of colloquial, everyday phrases as well as slang. Watch whatever that interests you, whether it’s a superhero blockbuster movie, Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show on YouTube or Game of Thrones!

11) Learn as many words as you can from a single category

Are you a foodie? Learn all the words related to food and cooking! If you’re into photography, then pick up words related to that field instead. You may think that this may be too specific, but you’ll be surprised how many words in the English language are related. For example, if you’ve learnt the word flambé as part of your food vocabulary, you will realise that words like flammable, inflammation and flambeau are all connected, and has something to do with flame!

12) Imitate your favourite actor

Personally, I’ve tried this before and it is really fun to do! All you have to do is pick your a celebrity like Robert De Niro or Arnold Schwarzenegger and try speaking like them. Listen to some dialogue and phrases, and repeat what they say. Shadowing someone’s way of speaking can help improve your intonation and pronunciation so that you emphasise the right syllables (e.g. ‘tech-NOH-logy’ not ‘tech-no-lo-gy’) and don’t swallow any consonants (e.g. ‘throw’ not ‘trow’).

13) And most importantly, keep speaking & practising!

This is where most students stumble. Due to lack of confidence, students tend to avoid speaking in English for fear of saying the wrong thing. Don’t be afraid! In order for you to be able to improve, you MUST keep practising and speaking out loud. Find every opportunity to speak in English, whether it’s giving directions to a stranger, ordering a burger from McDonald’s or conversing among your friends.

Always remember that in order to improve in anything, you need lots and lots of practice!