KUALA LUMPUR: The Government will start using the zero-based budgeting method for its ministries and departments to reduce wastage and unnecessary spending, says Tony Pua.

The special officer to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said that this method would be used for future budgeting for the country, including Budget 2019.

Pua said that the zero-based budgeting method would see ministries and departments within the Government receiving funds based on what each ministry and department needed, as opposed to the "copy and paste" method used previously.

"Baseline of budget had always followed the one allocated for the previous year," Pua said.

For example, he explained, the copy-and-paste method saw ministries and departments receiving funds for similar items every year. However, this did not address the changing needs of the ministries and departments and could lead to wastage, said Pua.

"The zero-based budget is currently being implemented, but we don't know how much we will be able to save from the budget until we get all the numbers," he said.