Why mention ‘T15’ if definition not finalised, says Syed Saddiq

 

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said the government should not make premature announcements in the budget as people’s lives are at stake.

PETALING JAYA: 

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has questioned why the 

T15

 income group was mentioned in the tabling of the budget last Friday when its definition has yet to be finalised.

Responding to economy minister Rafizi Ramli saying the 

T15

 classification was being refined, Syed Saddiq said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim should not have mentioned the group when tabling the 2025 budget if that was the case.

“How come the government could announce in the budget that the ‘mahakaya’ (extremely wealthy) enjoys RM8 billion in (RON95) petrol subsidies (a year)?

Don’t ‘announce first, think later’. People’s lives are at stake,

 the former Muda president said in a post on X.

Tabling the budget, Anwar said foreigners and the top 15% of consumers, whom he essentially dubbed as super rich, enjoyed 40% of the government’s RON95 subsidies.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said this 40% in subsidies, which constitutes about RM8 billion, would have been better off spent on public healthcare, education and transport.

He announced that the government would implement targeted RON95 subsidies from the middle of next year, though 85% of the population would not be affected.

He also hinted at targeted subsidies in public education, again mentioning the 

top 15% income earners

, as well as in healthcare.

Last night, finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan said the government was still working on determining the income threshold to ensure the targeted subsidies for petrol, healthcare, and education help the right groups.

Rafizi later said the targeted subsidy for RON95 petrol would not be solely based on household income but will consider 

other factors

, though he did not elaborate. - FMT