UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Mohamad Akmal Saleh has suggested that fuel subsidies should first be removed for Members of Parliament as well as top executives of government-linked companies (GLCs) and government-linked investment companies (GLICs).
He argued that these groups already receive substantial transport allowances amounting to thousands of ringgit and therefore should not continue benefiting from fuel subsidies intended for the public.
According to him, subsidy rationalisation should not burden ordinary citizens but instead focus on those who are financially better off.
“Do not reduce fuel subsidies for those who need them… instead increase subsidies for the needy and take from those who do not require them, such as those earning tens of thousands,” he said in a Facebook post.
He added that the first group to be considered for subsidy removal should be elected representatives and senior executives of GLCs and GLICs who already receive significant allowances.
In his post, he also stressed that economic crisis management should not adopt a blanket approach across all income groups.
He acknowledged arguments that higher-income earners also pay taxes but said the impact of fuel subsidies is far more significant for lower-income groups.
“If high-income earners complain that they are the biggest taxpayers, they must also remember that without lower-income workers supporting their companies, they would not be able to earn such high salaries,” he said.
