KUALA LUMPUR (March 11): The Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) will be paying 12% dividend and bonus for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2015 (FY15), equivalent to RM693.8 million.

In a statement today, LTAT said the dividend and bonus comprise of 6% dividend and 6% special bonus in the form of unit trusts for active members.

The dividends and bonuses will be paid out to contributing members, beginning next Monday (March 14).

For comparison, over the past 43 years, the average yearly dividend and bonus paid out, stood at 11.3% per annum, LTAT said.

The fund recorded an unaudited total profit of RM766.8 million for FY15, with total assets having increased by 1.1% to RM9.4 billion, compared with 2014’s RM9.3 billion.

LTAT said its members’ contribution also increased 2.25% to RM9.1 billion, compared with RM8.9 billion recorded last year.

“Given the challenging economic climate, both locally and globally, we are thankful that members of the armed forces and their families are able to benefit from our strong dividend distribution, as a result of our achievements in 2015,” LTAT’s chairman Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor said.

“In line with our commitment [in] ensuring that the welfare of members of the armed forces and their families is safeguarded, we have taken steps to safeguard our investment portfolio, to ensure we remain a profitable entity,” he added.

During the year, LTAT, and Yayasan Warisan Perajurit (YWP) — which was established by the LTAT Group of companies, led by Boustead Holdings Bhd, had awarded scholarships and allowances worth RM4.1 million to 3,607 eligible children of both serving and retired armed forces personnel, for their excellent academic achievements.

To-date, incentives and scholarships amounting to RM65.8 million have been distributed to 67,674 eligible children of these armed forces personnel.

In 2015, YWP had donated a total of RM239,000 to 75 deserving members/widows of Persatuan Veteran ATM (PVATM).

In addition, LTAT and its group of companies provided RM2.4 million to PVATM and Tabung Kebajikan Angkatan Tentera for various welfare, sports and festive activities. This includes contributions for the National Warrior Day Fund, as well as for the Hari Raya festivities.

Besides that, LTAT also distributed Zakat contribution, totalling RM353,000, to the Tabung Zakat ATM.

To date, contributions from LTAT and its group of companies, as well as YWP, to eligible serving and retired members of the armed forces, have totalled RM209.7 million.

LTAT and its group of companies also aim to build 2,988 units of affordable homes in Taman LTAT Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur, 210 units in Mutiara Rini in Johor and 300 units in Bandar Segari in Perak, for its serving and retired members of the armed forces.

During the year, LTAT revealed that its wholly-owned corporation Perbadanan Perwira Niaga Malaysia (PERNAMA), provided various staple goods at prices below market value, in order to help members of the armed forces cope with the rising cost of living.

A total of RM7.7 million was subsidised for this purpose.

Additionally, LTAT said a total of 11,446 retiring and retired armed forces personnel were successfully trained in various skills and entrepreneurial programmes, through its subsidiary corporation, Perbadanan Hal Ehwal Bekas Angkatan Tentera (PERHEBAT).

“This was undertaken to enable them to take up a second career, post retirement from the armed forces,” LTAT said.

PERHEBAT has trained 195,790 retiring and retired armed forces personnel, through the years.