The subsidy eligibility criteria and mechanism should be announced in a few weeks’ time, according to economy minister Rafizi Ramli, reported The Star. The ministry would present related matters to the Cabinet soon for approval before the public is informed, Rafizi said.
“The economy ministry and finance ministry will bring the proposal of the mechanism and eligibility to Cabinet for approval, and as we progress, we will communicate to the public as soon as possible. Given that the timeline is in a few months, and this is already January, some of these announcements have to be made progressively going forward,” he said at the Malaysian Economic Forum on Tuesday, according to the report.
This announcement will also include the transition of eligibility criteria from the existing set that is gross income, defined by the B40, M40 and T20 segments, to net disposable income, Rafizi said.
“We have informed the proposal of policy changes, but the Cabinet’s decision has to be official so we can proceed to the next steps. In a few weeks, we hope to finalise the matter with the government’s approval in accordance with the proposal by the economy ministry,” he said.
Previously, minister of deputy domestic trade and cost of living Fuziah Salleh said that a person’s employment status and their number of dependents will be among the cost-of-living indicators which will be used to determine their eligibility for the RON 95 subsidy.
Last November, Rafizi said that the proposed levy system for implementing the RON 95 petrol subsidy could see some of the poorest households miss out from receiving the financial aid, as some 40% of households were found to have their vehicles not registered under their own names.
Meanwhile, concerns for data security have also arisen if the subsidy was dispensed through the use of e-wallets and the MyKad national identity card.
At the tabling of Budget 2025 last October, prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim – who is also finance minister – announced that the target RON 95 subsidy would see the top 15% of earners (T15) pay more for petrol, and that 85% of the Malaysian population would continue to receive the fuel subsidy.
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