Gov’t studying removal of RON95 petrol subsidy, but will focus on diesel rationalisation for now – Rafizi

Economy minister Rafizi Ramli says that the government is studying the expansion of targeted fuel subsidies to incorporate RON 95 petrol, something that has been previously mentioned as being set to happen this year.

However, he said that Putrajaya’s immediate focus remains on the implementation of the diesel subsidy rationalisation programme, which began on June 10, echoing what finance minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said earlier this month.

“Currently, the government is prioritising stabilisation of the targeted diesel subsidy to achieve objectives such as enhancing the country’s fiscal sustainability and reducing leakages in subsidy distribution,” Rafizi said in a written parliamentary reply to Radzi Jidin (PN-Putrajaya).

Rafizi explained that fuel subsidies accounted for 12.3% of the government’s total operating expenditure in 2023, prompting the need for subsidy reform. He said that any future adjustment to the RON 95 petrol subsidy will include measures to adequately support affected groups, The Edge reports.

He added that through the diesel subsidy rationalisation, which has seen the retail price of the fuel being increased from RM2.15 to RM3.35 per litre in the peninsula, the government expects to achieve annual savings of around RM4 billion, and these savings will be used to improve the quality of life for the wider public through the provision of quality public infrastructure and more comprehensive social protection.

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