Kuala lumpur: Several key proposals from the Transport Ministry (MoT) have been included in Budget 2026, its minister Minister Anthony Loke said. He highlighted initiatives such as incentives for installing speed limitation devices (SLD) in heavy vehicles, matching grants for owners of old vehicles, and tax exemption incentives for taxi owners.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, other initiatives benefiting public transport users were also continued under Budget 2026. These include the My50 travel pass in the Klang Valley, flight ticket subsidies for students from Sabah and Sarawak, and capped fares during festive seasons. Loke emphasized that Budget 2026 marks a significant milestone for the government in managing the nation's finances prudently, attributed to earlier subsidy rationalisation measures.
Loke explained that the rationalisation initiatives introduced two years ago have yielded positive outcomes, allowing savings to be redirected to the people through various assistance schemes. He described the tabling of Budget 2026 as an early success for the MADANI government in managing national finances effectively, highlighting the positive impact of subsidy rationalisation measures involving diesel, chicken, eggs, electricity, and RON95 fuel.
He added that the savings from these measures were redistributed to the public through programmes such as the Rahmah Cash Aid (STR) and the SARA RM100 one-off appreciation aid. Loke announced that about 22 million Malaysians will receive another round of the aid ahead of Chinese New Year and Ramadan in February, a surprise announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. This decision was not discussed in the morning's Cabinet meeting, demonstrating the government's commitment to returning benefits to the people, a major success in fiscal consolidation.
Budget 2026, themed 'Belanjawan MADANI Keempat: Belanjawan Rakyat' (Fourth MADANI Budget: A Budget for the People), aims to mobilise and optimise national resources. These include funds from government-linked investment companies (GLICs), federal statutory bodies, and Minister of Finance Incorporated (MoF Inc), with total public expenditure reaching RM470 billion compared to RM452 billion the previous year.
When tabling the budget, Anwar stated it comprises RM338.2 billion in federal operating expenditure and RM81 billion in development expenditure. Additionally, it includes RM30 billion in GLIC investments, RM10 billion in public-private investments, and RM10.8 billion in investments by federal statutory bodies and MoF Inc companies.