Miti agency pushes for subsidy removal, faces govt resistance

[superadmin]

KUALA LUMPUR – If the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) has its way, Malaysians could very soon be spending considerably more on several key essential items due to the removal of subsidies.

It is understood that discussions are currently at an advanced stage, with the agency under the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) appearing intent on pushing for what it is termed as a “rationalisation of subsidy”.

Among the subsidies that are being proposed for rationalisation include RON95 fuel as well as agricultural products like sugar and rice.

The proposal has been mooted since the days of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s prime ministership, but support for it has intensified on the back of a wrenching Covid-19 economic downturn being further aggravated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has driven oil and gas prices up.

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