Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email The public have another hot topic served today. In time for weekend coffee shop talks 🙂
Its none other than a bread and butter issue – petrol price. Today, the minister announced that foreigners will not enjoy the subsidy when May 1 comes. He also said that for Malaysians, the price will depend on engine capacity and “socio-economic” factors, among others. Its expected that MyKad will play a major role in the new price mechanism.
Concern is that the details will be revealed on May 1st and the pricing structure is also expected to come into effect in May. So, that doesn’t give much time (or any time) for the public to give their input. I hope it won’t be another nightmare for rakyat.
So, will changing to smaller cc cars help families? Would the mechanism be foolproof?
There will be two price structures for petrol from May 1 — one for Malaysians and another for foreigners — Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Thursday.
For Malaysians, the price of petrol will also be based on engine capacity, which means that not all would be entitled to subsidised fuel, he added.
Different petrol prices would be introduced for different groups of Malaysians, Ismail told a press conference here on Thursday after launching the new corporate identity of the F&N Soft Drinks Division.
Amongst the things that would be considered are the engine capacity of vehicles and socio-economic factors, he said.
He said that the subsidy for petrol would be retained but only targeted groups would receive the subsidy.
“The categories will then be divided into sub-categories such as the engine capacity of the vehicles used and other factors such as socio-economy,” he said.
“For RON95 petrol, the Goverment’s subsidy is 30sen per litre now. The current price of RON95 petrol is RM1.80 compared to the actual price, which is RM2.10.
“So, Malaysians who are not eligible for the subsidy and also non-citizens will have to pay RM2.10 or more,” he added.
Besides introducing the new structure, the ministry also plans to make the usage of My-Kad compulsory when buying petrol to identify one’s nationality.
“We have Thai nationals who drive into Malaysia to fill up their tank as they don’t receive any subsidy, which makes petrol such an expensive commodity there,” he said.
Further information on the new structure would be announced on May 1, 2010.
