KUALA LUMPUR: The government is reviewing a plan to phase out blanket subsidies in favour of MyKad-based social aid, says Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying. She said the immediate priority, however, was to ensure the smooth rollout of the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) programme, which forms the foundation of the government’s shift towards targeted aid...
SEPANG: The government can consider another one-off RM100 payment for students to cope with rising costs, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Prime Minister and Finance Minister said the request will be weighed during preparations for next year’s budget. He was responding to a Multimedia University student who asked for a repeat of the RM100 one-off aid...
PUTRAJAYA: The government will begin disbursing payments for the Phase Three Rahmah Cash Contribution (STR) starting Tuesday (Aug 12), allocating RM2bil to ease the cost of living for low-income households under the Madani government initiative. In a statement Monday (Aug 11), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also Finance Minister, announced that 8.6 million...
JOHOR BARU: As a young graduate who has just entered the job market, Hanie Yunus has an observation when it comes to the idea of raising the retirement age from 60 to 65. “Towards 60, I notice many at this age are just waiting for retirement. Often, younger staff end up covering for them. Their productivity...
PETALING JAYA: The Madani government has seen a slight improvement in voter ratings as its second administrative year comes to a close. According to findings of a Merdeka Centre survey released on Monday (Dec 23), 54% of voters polled gave the Prime Minister a positive rating, up from 50% last year. The overall rating for the Federal...
KUALA LUMPUR: Implementing subsidy rationalisation by redefining the T15 group could end up being unfair to the middle class, says Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. While taking part in debates on Budget 2025 in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Oct 23), the Pagoh MP said the government had yet to define the T15 group, but it purportedly...
PUTRAJAYA: The government is planning a mechanism to manage the cost of living and tame the country’s inflation, says Rafizi Ramli. The Economy Minister said the discussion on wages, cost of living and inflation has to be managed carefully. "In the past, some quarters, every time we talk about pushing for higher wages, they will always give...
PAPAR: Forming a cartel to gain profit without fair competition is an act of sabotage against the government’s ongoing efforts to reduce the people’s cost of living, says Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali. Citing the case where five companies were fined RM415.5mil for fixing the price of poultry feed on...
JOHOR BARU: Many food operators here are not planning to adjust the cost of their chicken dishes yet despite the price of poultry having been floated for over a week. Some are even willing to absorb the extra cost should the price not increase beyond RM1 per kg. Food stall operator Sumardi Kasdul has been selling fried...
KUALA LUMPUR: As a single mother with two children, the additional RM600 in Rahmah Cash Aid (STR) means a lot to Ansaya Dayang Gimbang. The 35-year-old, who washes clothes for a living here, said she was nearly suffocated by the high cost of living with her mere RM1,500 income per month. She said the STR increase from...
