Budi95 subsidy quota for RM1.99 per litre RON95 petrol to be cut from 300 to 200 litres from April?

UDPATE: It’s been confirmed that the Budi95 quota will be reduced to 200 litres from April.

We could be braced for a tightening of Budi95 subsidies as the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East continue to weigh heavily on oil prices. According to The Edge, the government is planning to cut the quota for subsidised RON95 petrol – priced at RM1.99 per litre – from the usual 300 litres to 200 litres.

Sources told the publication that the move could be announced as early as this week, with the adjusted quota set to take effect in April. Once this is depleted, users will have to pay for unsubsidised RON95 petrol, which is priced at RM3.87 per litre (up 60 sen) starting today.

The move should enable the government to extend Budi95 subsidies, as prices of crude oil continue to soar. Earlier this month, prime minister and finance minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia would be able to maintain the current price of RM1.99 per litre for up to two months.

He recently warned that the subsidy could cost the country RM24 billion if global crude remained at US$110 per barrel. The price of Brent crude, which hit US$120 per barrel just two weeks ago on March 9, has eased to US$98.24 per barrel at the time of writing – although that’s still much higher than just before the Iran war began on February 26, when it cost US$70.84 per barrel.

The reduction in quota isn’t likely to affect the vast majority of users, as it’s been previously reported that the average consumption of subsidised fuel was 83 litres of petrol per month, and 90% of those eligible for Budi95 used less than 200 litres per month.

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