PUTRAJAYA has extended the appeal period for Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN) to May 31 following complaints by rejected applicants, said Muhyiddin Yassin.

The prime minister, in a live telecast this afternoon, said the public can submit appeals via email or at Inland Revenue Board (IRB) counters.

“I was made to understand that there have been a lot of complaints from the public about the BPN payment. Some applicants were rejected due to certain issues.

“Therefore, the finance minister has agreed to extend the appeal period for BPN to May 31. The public can send their appeals via email or by visiting the nearest IRB office.

“As tomorrow is a public holiday, my advice is, you can visit IRB counters on Tuesday.”

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, in a statement yesterday, said the government has approved 2.3 million new applications and appeals for the aid, with a total payout of RM1.7 billion.

This comes after IRB completed a review of the fresh applications and appeals, he said.

“With the approval of these new applications and appeals, the total number of BPN recipients stands at 10.6 million, with a cumulative total disbursement of RM11 billion, an increase of RM1 billion from the initial allocation of RM10 billion.”

BPN is contained in Putrajaya’s RM260 billion Prihatin stimulus package to mitigate the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. – May 10, 2020.