KUALA LUMPUR: The Finance Ministry (MoF) says the Federal Government's debt will be reduced to 53% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2016 from 54.5% at end-2015.
It said on Tuesday the Government was on track to reduce the fiscal deficit to 3.1% of GDP in 2016 from 3.2% in 2015 under its current fiscal consolidation programme.
Responding to a news report by Nikkei Asian Review on June 3 about the country's rising debt which it described as baseless, the MoF said the Government expected to achieve a balanced budget by 2020.
The MoF said the Government was committed to ensure the debt did not exceed 55% of GDP.
The MoF also said that up to end-2015, the Government debt was RM630.5bil or 54.5% of GDP, of which 97% were domestics and the rest was foreign, hence the risk exposure to foreign exchange volatility was low.
Already a subscriber? Log in
The Star Festive Promo: Get 35% OFF Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
