THE suggestion for the removal subsidies for the top tier household income group a.k.a. T20 has been a hotly debated issue with the Madani government agreeing in principle to make high earners pay market price for RON95 petrol.
As reported in Free Malaysia Today (FMT), economist Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid has suggested that such subsidy removal start with the richest sub-group (T1) which based on Department of Statistics (DOSM) 2024 data, refers to households whose median household income reaches RM55,034/month followed by T5 (median income of RM20,738).
According to the Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist, the phased move for the T20 category is to ensure harmony and balance in the short term.
However, there is a segment of public who felt that it is better to start by removing fuel subsidies for MPs and ministers.
One such vexed citizen was Aisehman (@Aisehman) who – while agreeing with the move to remove such subsidies for T1 segment – pointed out that Malaysia’s esteemed MPs are entitled to a monthly subsidy of RM1,500.
It was suggested that the petrol allowance alongside the RM2,500 entertainment allowance should be scrapped.
The disgruntled taxpayer’s post has generated 110.8K views at time of writing with plenty of like-minded citizens expressing similar sentiments.
One bemused commenter simply wondered what sort of entertainment were these MPs engaged in?
Expressing complete disgust via a has tag (#msiandumbAF), an irate taxpayer suggested that MP allowances be terminated. “Just maintain salary and zero pension” was his take, clearly underlining the belief that these politicians were a pampered lot.
The mood was best summed up by one observer who questioned why there was a need to reward MP s for attending parliament? “Why are they getting extra allowances simply for their job?” it was asked incredulously.
It was wishful thinking on the part of one commenter who contended that a better money-saving move would be to remove “incompetent MPs, GLC officials and government servant”. A return to Good and Services Tax (GST) was also mooted as a fair means of raising taxes.
It was also claimed that the actual amount put aside for these allowances was minute compared to budget set aside for each government MP – a whopping RN3.8 mil per lawmaker!
Above all else, this provision was not audited with this commenter wondering just where the money disappeared to.
A simpler solution was proffered by a motorist who opined that public coffers would be in better shape if the fuel subsidy was streamlined and limited to those with valid driving licenses and/or legitimate car ownership. It was argued that this would prevent billions in leakages.
Another suggestion was that there be no direct cash payments for these allowances, only valid claims to prevent misuse and abuse of these privileges.
As can be seen from the comments, there were plenty of suggestions on how best to save public monies. But the prevailing sentiment was that MPs aren’t doing enough to justify their lavish list of allowances.
- Focus Malaysia
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