KUALA LUMPUR: Targeted fuel subsidies are not new and have been explored by previous government administrations but never implemented.
Hong Leong Investment Bank research report on rationalising subsidy rationalisation said in a Barisan Nasional's proposal, under former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was for a full subsidy for those earning RM5,000 and below, partial subsidy for those earning RM5,000-10,000 and no subsidy for those above RM10,000.
Pakatan Harapan's proposal under former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad, was to allocate RM2.2 billion to Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) recipients at RM30 monthly for cars and RM12 for motorcycles.
Under the scheme, a card would be given to non BSH recipients, enabling them to enjoy a 30 sen/ per litre discount. As for the previous Perikatan Nasional-Barisan Nasional government under former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob), it ran a pilot test on a targeted fuel subsidy tied to e-wallets.