Kuala lumpur: The government has not discussed any proposal to introduce a new classification for the top 20 per cent income group (T20), Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan stated. He emphasized that the government's priority remains on enhancing the existing BUDI Diesel initiative, which is considered equitable for all demographics.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Amir Hamzah clarified, "We are not discussing anything on the T20 classification at this point, so I do not know how the issue came about. Our approach is to look at fuel usage nationwide. We are using the same approach as in BUDI Diesel because we believe the current system is sufficiently comprehensive and fair to everyone, and we will extend it to Sabah and Sarawak as well."
The minister made these remarks while officiating the opening and handover of an additional block of preschool classrooms for the Special Education Integrated Programme (PPKI) at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Tan Sri Awang Had Salleh today. Education Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Wan Hashim Wan Rahim was also present at the event.
Amir Hamzah further addressed the National Union of the Teaching Profession's (NUTP) suggestion for the government to reconsider the provision of a 300-litre monthly fuel subsidy under BUDI Madani RON95 (BUDI95) for teachers. He noted the necessity of considering global oil market conditions and the substantial subsidy burden borne by the government.
He highlighted that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East had put pressure on global oil supplies, significantly increasing the government's monthly subsidy bill from about RM700 million to nearly RM7 billion in March, before easing to between RM3.5 billion and RM4 billion recently.
Additionally, Amir Hamzah mentioned that eligible micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can apply for financing up to RM750,000 under Bank Negara Malaysia's RM5 billion SME Financing Facility for Sustainability and Resilience (SME SRF), with a maximum interest or profit rate of 3.7 per cent per annum.
Last Friday, NUTP President Aminuddin Awang expressed hope that the government would reconsider the 300-litre monthly fuel subsidy for teachers, noting that some educators use their individual BUDI95 quota for official duties, including transporting students to co-curricular activities and competitions.