Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has unveiled six immediate measures aimed at easing the cost of living, assisting businesses and improving public services ahead of the tabling of the 2027 Budget in October.
Anwar said the government had decided to act before the Budget because Malaysians and businesses were dealing with challenges that required immediate attention.
“Cost-of-living pressures cannot wait until October. Businesses need to grow now and cannot wait until October,” he said during his National Day Eve address at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre today.
Among the measures is an increase in the monthly subsidised RON95 entitlement under BUDI95 from 200 litres to 300 litres.
The government will also raise the school maintenance allocation by 50%, from RM1 billion to RM1.5 billion. The funding will cover national schools, Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools, religious schools, tahfiz and pondok institutions, as well as special education facilities.
Anwar said the Education Ministry would start visiting districts from next month to assess applications for infrastructure repairs, allowing urgent works to be identified without waiting until next year.
The AI for Rakyat programme will also be expanded to Malaysians aged between 18 and 30. Under the initiative, 100,000 youths who complete the prescribed modules will receive free three-month subscriptions to leading AI applications.
The programme will provide access to artificial intelligence tools and services including ChatGPT, Gemini Enterprise, Wondershare and Meituan.
In the healthcare sector, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will allocate RM1 billion to strengthen digital infrastructure and capabilities across public healthcare facilities.
The funding will support the introduction of electronic medical records and improve internet connectivity at 150 hospitals and more than 2,000 public health clinics. Anwar said the initiative was intended to speed up treatment and reduce lengthy waiting times for patients.
Businesses will also receive relief through a higher e-Invoice exemption threshold. The annual sales limit for exemption will increase from RM1 million to RM3 million, meaning businesses with annual sales of up to RM3 million will not be required to implement e-Invoicing.
Anwar said the change would help ease compliance pressures faced by micro, small and medium enterprises.
The government will additionally increase microfinancing facilities for small traders by RM1 billion, taking total funding from RM5 billion to RM6 billion.
A RM200 million Geran Sejahtera Madani will also be introduced to support hawkers, small traders, night-market traders and women operating home-based businesses.
Anwar said the measures reflected the government’s approach of ensuring that economic growth translates into tangible benefits for the people.
The announcements were made in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil, National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
