KUALA LUMPUR: Several key proposals from the Transport Ministry (MoT) have been included in Budget 2026, its minister Minister Anthony Loke said.
He said among the initiatives announced were incentives for installing speed limitation devices (SLD) in heavy vehicles, matching grants for owners of old vehicles, and tax exemption incentives for taxi owners.
“I would like to thank the Finance Ministry (MoF) for accepting and incorporating several inputs from MoT into the budget,” he told newsmen after the tabling of Budget 2026 today.
According to Loke, other initiatives benefiting public transport users were also continued under Budget 2026, including the My50 travel pass in the Klang Valley, flight ticket subsidies for students from Sabah and Sarawak, and capped fares during festive seasons.
At the same time, he described Budget 2026 as a significant milestone for the government in managing the nation’s finances prudently, resulting from the earlier implementation of the subsidy rationalisation measures.
Loke said the rationalisation initiatives introduced two years ago have yielded positive outcomes, allowing savings to be channelled back to the people through various assistance schemes.
“I view the tabling of Budget 2026 as an early success for the MADANI government in managing national finances effectively. It shows the positive impact of subsidy rationalisation measures implemented two years ago involving diesel, chicken, eggs, electricity and RON95 fuel,” he said.
He said the savings from these measures were redistributed to the people through programmes such as the Rahmah Cash Aid (STR) and the SARA RM100 one-off appreciation aid.
“About 22 million Malaysians will receive another round of the (RM100 one-off) aid ahead of Chinese New Year and Ramadan in February — a surprise announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that was not discussed in this morning’s Cabinet meeting.
“This proves that when the government saves, the benefits are returned to the people — a major success in fiscal consolidation. Congratulations to the Finance Ministry for this achievement,” he said.
Budget 2026, themed ‘Belanjawan MADANI Keempat: Belanjawan Rakyat’ (Fourth MADANI Budget: A Budget for the People), mobilises and optimises national resources, including funds from government-linked investment companies (GLICs), federal statutory bodies, and Minister of Finance Incorporated (MoF Inc), with total public expenditure of RM470 billion compared to RM452 billion last year.
When tabling the budget, Anwar said it comprises RM338.2 billion in federal operating expenditure and RM81 billion in development expenditure, as well as 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. – Bernama
