Wan Azizah: 2% EPF For Housewives Will Be Taken From Husbands' 11% Contribution
"This deduction is a tribute to the wives."
By John Lim — 30 May 2018, 01:27 PM
Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has cleared the air on Pakatan Harapan's (PH) proposal for housewives to receive Employees Provident Fund (EPF)
Earlier this week, it was reported that Wan Azizah, who is also the Women, Family and Community Development Minister, said husbands would contribute 2% of their pay for their wives' EPF savings, while the government would contribute a further RM50.
The proposal is among the pledges in the PH manifesto.
She clarified that the 2% EPF contribution for housewives would be deducted from their husband's 11% statutory contribution
"There is no additional contribution. The two per cent will come from the existing 11 per cent that they have been contributing to EPF. This deduction is a tribute to the wives," she said as quoted by the New Straits Times (NST).
She added that she would be meeting with staff from EPF to discuss the ways for implementing the proposal.
When asked how the mechanism would work for husbands with more than one wife, she told The Sun, "We have not detailed it out yet, but we'll discuss."
Wan Azizah's explanation came after a statement by the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) last week, disapproving the proposal
"Without the employee's permission, nobody has the power or authority to deduce their pay," MTUC's secretary-general J. Solomon told Free Malaysia Today (FMT) on 24 May.