KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — The government will step up enforcement to prevent disproportionate price hikes after the implementation of diesel subsidy rationalisation, said Treasury secretary-general Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican.
“The subsidy rationalisation was meant to address internal and cross-border smuggling to ensure aid is focused towards helping the people as a whole,” he said at a panel titled “Subsidy Rationalisation: Charting the Course Towards Economic Transformation” at Bank Negara Malaysia’s Sasana Symposium here today.
Johan said the government has spaced out implementation through a sequenced approach, with the electricity tariff adjustments activated in 2022 and the prices of chicken, water and diesel fixed after that.
“We as a government must look at the people’s behaviour to provide assistance.
“What we did with electricity tariffs was tiered pricing, where higher-volume users were subject to a higher tariff. That is quite fair,” he said, adding that the government has become more flexible in exploring to what extent it can earmark revenue.
— Bernama
