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PM miffed with defence of ultra-rich

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today voiced his frustration and bemusement at the opposition's defence of the ultra-rich.

"If you listen to the debates in Parliament, I feel 'lemas' (tired), more members of Parliament are defending the T15 instead of fighting for the 85 per cent of people in the M40 and B40," he said.

"I find it strange, people say I am anti-ultra-rich. I am not. I am only saying that if you are rich, do not take the subsidies from the poor, you can pay.

"If earn RM100,000 a month and you go to the government hospital, just pay a little bit," he said at the Temu Anwar Dialogue programme at the Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia.

Anwar said this should also be the case for university students whose parents earned over RM100,000 a month.

He said targeted subsidies were not discriminatory because aid given based on a person's financial capability.

Those who did not qualify for subsidies were not charged higher fees.

"The fees are the same, and this way (targeted subsidies), the university enjoys increased revenue, and this way we can help those in the lower income group. This is our philosophy."

During the tabling of the 2025 Budget, Anwar said subsidies would be gradually reduced for the T15, with the savings used to improve infrastructure for boarding schools and public universities.

On Oct 21, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said the definition of the T15 income category, which would be excluded from several government subsidies next year, was still being refined.

Rafizi, however, confirmed that the T15 would not be solely defined by gross household income, but also by factors like locality and basic household spending.

Anwar in the dialogue also said Malaysia is among the countries with the highest subsidies and the lowest tax rates in the world.

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