PUTRAJAYA - Nearly 900,000 non-citizens holding Malaysian driving licences (LMM) can no longer purchase RON95 petrol at subsidised prices following the implementation of the Budi Madani RON95 (BUDI95) initiative.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said there are 878,279 non-citizen LMM holders, including 18,710 permanent residents, who had previously enjoyed the same fuel subsidy as Malaysians.
"They are eligible to apply for a licence but are not citizens, so this group will not receive fuel subsidies.
"This means nearly 900,000 foreigners who drive and own cars in Malaysia have been benefiting from subsidies all this while,” he told a press conference on the implementation of BUDI95 here today.
Loke said non-citizens will now have to pay the market price of RM2.60 per litre, a move expected to save the government billions of ringgit in subsidy expenditure.
He emphasised that targeted subsidies are a fair measure, as only Malaysian citizens are entitled to government assistance, while holders of red identity cards or other non-citizen documents will no longer qualify.
On Sept 22, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the price of RON95 petrol would be reduced to RM1.99 per litre from RM2.05, effective today, under the targeted subsidy mechanism of BUDI95.
All Malaysians with valid driving licences are eligible for the subsidy.
Based on data from the Road Transport Department and the National Registration Department, more than 16 million Malaysians are expected to benefit from the programme. - BERNAMA